The global market for Flexible Printed Circuit Boards (FPCBs) is forecast to reach US$21.4 billion by the year 2027, trailing a post COVID-19 CAGR of 8.9% over the analysis period 2020 through 2027. The electronics industry and the upstream semiconductor sector remain among the worst affected by the pandemic induced supply chain disruptions and economic recession. A part of the semiconductor industry, FPCBs is expected to slump by -10.2% in the year 2020. Manufacturers of electronic products are facing dual challenges of production bottlenecks as a result of supply chain disruptions and inability to deliver on backlogged orders and weak new orders as a result of soft consumer demand. Electronics supply chain already in state of flux in the pre-pandemic period by the U.S. and China trade and tariff war has been pushed into crisis with little preparation at the start of the pandemic in January 2020. With most electronic raw material supply dependent on Southeast Asian countries and China, over 75% of companies witnessed shipment delays which in the month of April rose to 3 to 5 weeks. The overall velocity of the value chain to perform and fulfil orders has reduced significantly. In addition, the pandemic has disrupted supply chains causing massive damage for manufacturing companies reliant on China for supplies. These supply chain disruptions will step up the pressure to decouple from China. Rethinking supply chains will spur the movement of production out of China, including for electronics. Consumer electronics manufacturing, followed closely by automotive and industrial electronics remain the worst impacted. With companies cancelling and delaying modernization plans and with IT budgets slashed, industrial electronics is also feeling the pain of the general slowdown. With most electronic companies expected to witness decline in sales and profitability, the semiconductor industry also remains impacted and likely to face short-term financial hardships.

However, in the post COVID-19 period FPCBs used widely in wearable electronics will receive a boost as a result of increased adoption of medical wearables. Flexible printed circuit boards or flex circuits refer to electronic circuits mounted over flexible substrates such as transparent conductive polyester film or polyimide. Furthering the evolution of electronics, flexible circuits have enabled many electronic products to become smaller, smarter and cheaper through simpler and cost-effective interconnections. A major benefit of flexible printed circuits over conventional rigid printed circuit boards is that they can be designed to take up a particular shape at the time of production allowing flexing at the time of their use in end-products. As a result, flexible circuits consume less volume as well as weight, which result in larger design freedom, even as they provide superior electrical performance and enhanced interconnect reliability. Flexible circuit boards find use in applications where conventional printed circuit boards have limited or no use due to flexibility requirements, space savings or production constraints. Changing packaging and speed requirements of chips that are mounted on printed circuit boards as well as technological advances are creating the need to shift away from conventional rigid boards to flexible printed circuits. The interconnectivity provided by flex PCBs in sophisticated circuitry is increasing their usage in electronics. Design of green PCBs and PCBs miniaturization are the main trends being witnessed in the market. Also, there is growing demand for multi-layer flex PCBs and rising adoption of rigid-flex PCBs. Advancements in foldable smartphones and polymer solar cells are likely to offer growth opportunities for producers. Further, the rising requirement of automated robots in various applications is expected to stimulate demand for flex PCBs. Developments in circuit materials and fabrication technology are expected to bode well for the market. Also, the growing emergence of disposable electronics is expected to drive gains in the market.

Wearables are rising in importance for remote patient monitoring & telehealth which are witnessing a sudden spurt in demand as a no-contact method of delivering care services. Wearables are also finding new uses in safety management; social distancing & tracking people interactions & contact tracing. One application of flex PCB in the medical field is in hearing devices. As compared to the available hearing devices, a novel range of hearing-support devices of a company offers increased resolution and range (125 Hz to 10,000 Hz). In these devices, a tiny micro-actuator and photoreceptor are positioned in the ear canal, with the micro-actuator being in touch with the eardrum. And on the ear's outside, a microphone acquires the sound and a DSP (digital signal processor) changes it into digital signals to be transmitted into the ear. An infrared laser present in the ear canal gets actuated by the digital signals, which activates the photoreceptor, converting the digitized audio into a minute current, which powers the micro-actuator, resulting in vibration of the eardrum. Lately, wearable technology is being used for the purpose, which offers remotes 3D holographic images through a visor (which can flipped down) present on the helmet. The performance, reliability, and flexibility of flex PCB cables make the real-time use of HWVD (holographic waveguide helmet-mounted display) in avionics effective, while lightweight characteristics facilitate the mounting of the display directly onto the helmet of the pilot, rather than in the aircraft.