Some of the polymer used in manufacturing includes Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE). The LDPE based laboratory plasticware can withstand up to 90° C, if used for a short span of time and can be used continuously for a longer period of time between 50°C-80°C. Various organic solvents may soften or swell LDPE but it has excellent resistance to dilute and concentrated acids, alcohols, bases, and esters. The ranges of laboratory plastics apparatus manufactured from LDPE encompasses bottles, wash bottles, carboys and storage tanks among others. Similarly, High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) HDPE exhibits higher chemical resistance than LDPE and can be used to handle or work with extremely concentrated or hazardous chemical substances. polymethylpentene (PMP) is a polymer that is highly transparent in nature and rigid in nature and can withstand up to 180°C- 200°C. PMP is particularly useful in the manufacture of volumetric apparatus such as flasks, beakers and measuring cylinders. Polyvinylchloride (PVC) is primarily used in manufacturing tubing. The characteristic of the polymer makes the final product soft, pliable and transparent.
The laboratory plasticware market is expected to reach USD 6.0 Billion by 2020 from USD 4.99 Billion in 2015. The growth in this market will be majorly driven by the increasing demand for plastic ware, as they are flexible, easy to handle and inexpensive. Technological development has led to added advantages of using plastic ware over glassware which further helps in increasing the adoption rate among end-users. On the other hand, the brittle nature of glass (resulting in a low preference for glassware) and lack of funds (resulting in fewer research activities, thus affecting both glassware and plasticware markets) are the major factors restraining the growth of this market.
In this laboratory plasticware market is broadly segmented based on:
Plasticware products
End users
Region
The Plastics lab wares are categorized based on und users as follows:
- Research and Academic Institutes/ Collages
- Hospitals/ Healthcare Service Providers and Diagnostic Centre
- Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Industries
- Contract Research Organizations (CROs) and Contract Manufacturing Organizations (CMOs)
- Food and Beverage Industry
- Environmental and Chemicals/Petrochemicals Industries
- Medical Equipment Companies
Region
North America accounted for more than 40% of the laboratory glassware and plasticware market in 2015. In this region, the application of laboratory glassware and plasticware is in R&D studies, which is the major factor attributing to its growth. However, in the coming years, the Asia-Pacific market is expected to witness the highest growth owing to the rising outsourcing activities in research and manufacturing as a result of low costs and access to skilled labor in this region.
Due to the product-driven nature of the laboratory glassware and plasticware market, players primarily focused on new product launches to remain competitive. The majority of players launched pipettes or pupating systems in recent years. Companies launched new and advanced products to strengthen their portfolios and cater to the needs of the market.
Despite the economic slowdown, the United States market is the largest market because of the presence of a large number of universities and research centers conducting and funding the research.
Asia-Pacific is the fastest-growing market especially in countries such as China, India, Singapore, and Japan among others due to exponential rise in economy and emerging focus on the research programs in past decades.
The rest of the world market is yet to emerge as a prominent geographical region though the initiatives from regulatory bodies, flooding of top-notch research and manufacturing companies in this region will positively impact the growth and demand for laboratory plastic wares.
Some of the key players in the market in India include:
Eppendorf AG,
Kimble Chase
Life Science and Research Products LLC,
Duran Group GmbH,
Mettler-Toledo International Inc.,
Gerresheimer AG,
Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.,
Wheaton Science Products,
Corning, Inc. (U.S.)
Sartorius AG (Germany)
TARSONS,
ABDOS
Polylab