ELMWOOD PARK, NJ - According to a just-completed study by the consulting firm Kusumgar, Nerlfi & Growney, the global consumption of radiation-cured coatings, inks and adhesives was 868 million pounds in 2012 worth $4,495 million. The largest outlet was coatings, with 78 percent of the volume and 58 percent of the value. Wood and overprints are the leading coating end uses, taking nearly three-quarters of the volume and 60 percent of the dollars. A variety of plastic applications such as vinyl flooring, consumer electronic housings, automotive headlamp lenses and housings, and CDs took 18 percent of the coating pounds and 24 percent of the dollars. Optical fibers and cables were the fourth-largest end use. The above four end uses represent 95 percent of the coating pounds and 93 percent of the dollars.
The ink industry consumed 18 percent of the radcure product volume and 35 percent of the value in 2012. If one were to combine inks with overprint coatings into a graphic arts category, it would represent 41 percent of the pounds and 48 percent of the dollars. The offset process took nearly one-half of the ink volume and 43 percent of the dollars. The fastest-growing radcure ink process is inkjet, which is forecast to more than double in volume by 2017. Inkjet was only 3 percent of the volume in 2012 but 11 percent of the value.