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The Micro Technology Association was founded in February 2002 to further supplement the VDMA Engineering Federation. It is the aim of the Association to give the micro technological industry a profile and let its voice be heard at all relevant levels of society, economy and politics.
Within a period of hardly more than ten years, micro technology has developed into a global multi-billion market that, in the year 2005, will come in on same Euro 150 billion, including typical micro technology products such as flat panel displays. Even more impressive than the high market volume and the consistent two-digit growth rates is the great economic/technological leverage with which micro technology determines the feasibility, acceptance, and competitiveness of what has meanwhile become an abundance of macro products.
The market growth of microtechnology is guaranteed for quite same time. Competency in micro technology has become a key to innovation and competitiveness in modern technologies. As in the field of micro electronics, micro technology employs the same unique uncompromising approach to success of modern technology that is guided by two principles: ongoing miniaturisation and extensive integration. This strategy is sustainable as it needs less energy, resources and space. It lowers production costs, because batch processing is possible for many micro-structured products. And by integrating an increasing number of functional elements, it offers the possibility to permanently augment performance.
Miniaturisation has gained its place as successful strategy for modern technologies. Developers all over the globe expect benefits in terms of energy, materials and space savings. To be able to follow the road of success, the use of micro technologies is a must in areas such as micro mechanics, microoptics, microfluidics, microacoustics, micro assembly, micro valves or micro pumps.
Therefore, a key task oft he VDMA Micro Technology Association is to closely monitor all international developments in the relevant fields of technology and provide its membership with the very essence of its findings. It's the industry-specific guidance that helps entrepreneurs to make the right strategic decision and gives them a competitive edge over the international market.
Also the technological development of the 21st century will be guided by this success strategy. Apart from the nearly classical, yet still dynamic discipline of micro electronics, micro technology, i.e. micro sensor and actuator technology, micromechanics, microacoustics, microfluidics, micro reactive technology and other many more are bound to play ever more important a role. So it comes as little surprise that with manufacturing technology continuously being developed, many micro products actually become nano products as a result of the miniaturisation strategy, whereas no entirely new technology is created.
Design, construction and measuring techniques applied in micro technology stern mostly from semiconductor technology and light engineering. Some have already stood the test of time in these fields. Much more so, some of them have meanwhile even evolved into micro manufacturing methods in their own right due to the special demands of micro technology. More and more micro-technology-specific drafting and simulation techniques are made available. A similar development can be expected with respect to materials. This is why one can rightly assume -as is already partly the case -that an own micro technology supply chain will come into being. similar to the one of the micro electronic industry; its economic importance is bound to grow rapidly, offering manifold prospects for innovative undertakings.