The market for Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) will grow by up to 50 per cent each year according to Corning.

The firm, which is the world's largest maker of fibre-optic cable, said that strong demand for laptop computers and LCD televisions would see sales soar.

Corning said it anticipates the global LCD glass market volume growing between 30 per cent and 50 per cent over the coming years, with growth in 2004 near the top of this range.

Corning senior vice president Donald McNaughton said the firm had now increased its first-quarter forecast for LCD demand.

"We are very pleased to see strong demand continuing in quarter one and we are focusing our efforts to accelerate additional capacity to better serve the industry," he said.

Notebook computers would keep demand high, he said, with total notebook penetration of the computer market expected to hit 30 per cent by 2006. Meanwhile, LCD TVs would account for up to 16 per cent of the global TV market within the next three years.

"LCD monitors are on track to displace traditional cathode ray tubes as the display of choice this year and remain on pace to exceed 75 per cent of monitors sold by 2006," McNaughton said.

Platinum and platinum-rhodium alloys are used in the fabrication of vessels that hold, channel and form molten glass.

LCD glass, used in applications such as laptop computers, is the most intensive user of platinum and rhodium per unit of glass produced.