Microtechnology Forecast Is Bright

According to a report from Business Communications Co. Inc. in Norwalk, Conn., sales of microelectromechanical systems, micromachines and microsystems will experience an average annual growth rate of 21.4 percent in the 1998 to 2002 term. While applications in the medical, telecommunications and automotive sectors will dominate the industry, the analysts project total sales of $6.4 billion by 2002.

The use of microsystems and microfluidics in medicine will power 29.4 percent annual growth in that sector to $1.4 billion in 2002, the organization said. The development of microrelays will drive the telecommunications market, which will see growth of 27.5 percent to nearly $1.7 billion. Automotive applications are predicted to reach $1.1 billion, a growth rate of 21.8 percent resulting from the expanded integration of microsensors in airbags and manifolds.