By Janani Balasundar, Research Analyst, M&I
Materials characterization involves assessing and measuring the properties and features of a substance or material to gain an understanding of the material and its applications. Materials characterization technologies that have been analyzed in this research include physical testing instruments, thermal analyzers, particle characterization systems, rheometers, and viscometers. A market share analysis and end-user forecasts have also been provided at each product segment level to present an understanding of the market dynamics. The base year of the study is 2017 and the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.0% during the forecast period from 2018 to 2024. North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World (R0W) are the geographic segments evaluated in this research service. The report also analyses the global materials characterization market by end-user segments, such as:
- Pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and life sciences
- Polymers and materials
- Automotive
- Chemicals and petrochemicals
- Food
- Metals and minerals
- Others, including end users such as defense, homeland security, electronics, and semiconductors
Market Overview
Viscometers comprise the second-largest segment after the thermal analysis segment. There are different types of viscometers available in the market, as this instrument has significant application in the petrochemical, food, pharmaceuticals, and polymer industries. There are touchscreen, digital, and low-cost viscometers available with a range of options for customers. In particular, the inline viscometer is expected to grow fast in the market with a CAGR of more than 6%, as it is used to stabilize the refining process and maintain product quality standards in the automotive industry.
The thermal analysis instrument segment on the other hand is driven by the polymer and materials markets. Dynamic mechanical analyzers are in demand, as people are interested in studying the various properties of materials by applying dynamic conditions. Also, the differential scanning calorimeter holds the largest portion of the calorimeter market and much of thermal analysis research is performed towards saving existing energy and utilizing alternate energy.
The particle characterization segment is driven by regulatory guidelines in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Physical property analyzers are driven by the market need to drive production efficiency in refineries and pipelines. Furthermore, these analyzers are becoming more efficient as their maintenance requirements are significantly reduced; this improves customers’ process downtime.
Thermal Analysis Instrument Segment
The thermal analysis instrument segment covers differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyzers, thermogravimetric analyzers (TGA), differential thermal analyzers, simultaneous thermal analyzers (STA), thermomechanical analyzers (TMA), dynamic mechanical analyzers (DMA), and other thermal analyzers. Thermal analyzers are becoming more advanced every decade. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) which is the most employed thermal analysis method possesses high sensitivity and resolution. DSCs are now available with touchscreen technology to provide an easier interface for users. It even allows users to program their experiment and automate calibration and routine analysis. The thermo-mechanical analyzers’ efficient motor and mechanics enables high accuracy in modern instruments. Furthermore, customers have indicated strong interest towards thermal analysis research on green energy and renewable resources, which will drive market growth.
Particle Characterization Analyzer Segment
The particle characterization analyzer segment includes different particle size analyzers such as laser diffraction, dynamic light scattering (DLS), imaging, nanotechnology particle analysis (NTA), the Coulter principle, particle counters, and other technologies. Measuring and controlling particle size is significant in many industries such as pharmaceuticals, metals and minerals, food, paint, cosmetics, cement, polymers, and nanotechnology. The laser diffraction particle size analyzer is the most popular among particle size analyzers due to the speed and ease-of-use of this technique.
Viscometer and Rheometer Segment
The viscometer market is a $483.0 million sector and covers different types of viscometers, such as orifice, capillary, falling piston, rotational, falling ball, falling sphere, bubble, U-tube, inline, and vibrational viscometers. Demand from the petroleum, food, and pharmaceutical industries are expected to drive growth in this segment.
The rheometer is often used to measure the quality control of raw materials, manufacturing processes, and to predict material performance. The polymer and rubber industry finds most usage for rheological measurements. The rheometer market is valued at $200.0 million and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.0%.
Please contact the author at jananib@frost.com for queries.
Frost & Sullivan, a global research and growth consulting company, also covers various trends in the analytical instrumentation market. We have published several research studies in this area, including an Outlook of the Global Analytical Instrumentation Industry, 2017 and 2018; and studies on the Global Laboratory Analytical Instrumentation Market; Global Process Analytical Instrumentation Market; Analysis of Global Analytical X-ray Instrumentation Market; Global Analytical Instrumentation Market in Food Testing; Global Analysis of the Oil and Gas Analytical Instrumentation Market; Global Mass Spectrometry Market, Forecast to 2022; and Global Water Analysis Instrumentation Market, Forecast to 2022.
