For a long time, the cure for diabetes type 1 and type 2 has relied on agonizing insulin shots for patients or insulin infusion via mechanical pumps. Regarding this, experts have been creating artificial pancreatic beta cells with the he…
Report Scope
This report provides an updated review of spark plasma sintering and other types of advanced sintering technologies giving a description of basic equipment configurations. It also identifies current and emerging applications for these technologies.
BCC Research delineates the current market status for AST systems, defines trends and presents growth forecasts for the next five years. The market is analyzed based on the following segments: equipment type, application and region. In addition, technological issues, including key events and the latest process developments, are discussed.
More specifically, the market analysis conducted by BCC Research for this report is divided into five sections.
In the first section, an introduction to the topic and a historical review of spark plasma sintering and other advanced sintering technologies are provided, including an outline of recent events. In this section, a brief introduction to the numerous applications of these technologies is also offered.
The second section provides a technological review of spark plasma sintering and other advances in sintering technologies. This section offers a current description of various systems; typical materials processed by these apparatuses; technological trends in sintering technologies; and new and emerging applications. This section concludes with an analysis of the most important technological developments since 2015, including examples of significant patents recently issued or applied for, as well as highlighting the most active research organizations operating in this field.
The third section entails a global market analysis of AST systems. Global revenues (sales data in millions of dollars) are presented for each segment (equipment type, application and region), with actual data referring to the years 2015 and 2016 and estimates for 2017. Dollar figures refer only to equipment sales at the manufacturing level and do not include related services and maintenance activities.
The analysis of current revenues is followed by a detailed presentation of market growth trends, based on industry growth, and industry and regional trends. The third section concludes by providing projected revenues for AST systems within each segment, together with forecast compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) for the period of 2017 through 2022.
?
In the fourth section of the study, which covers global industry structure, the report offers a list of the leading suppliers and developers of AST equipment, together with a description of their products. The analysis includes a description of the geographical distribution of these firms and an evaluation of other key industry players. Detailed company profiles of the top players are also provided.
The fifth and final section includes an analysis of recently issued U.S. and international patents, with a summary of patents related to advanced sintering technologies, materials, equipment and applications. A patent analysis is performed by region, country, assignee, patent category, material type, process type and application.
Report Includes
- 32 data tables and 12 additional tables
- An overview of the global market for spark plasma sintering (SPS) and other advanced sintering technologies
- Analyses of global market trends, with data from 2015, 2016, 2017, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2022
- Discussion of the current and emerging requirements posed by advancements within the ceramics industry
- Coverage of milestones in the history of spark plasma sintering and other advanced sintering technologies
- Descriptions of the geographical distribution of manufacturers
- Detailed company profiles of top industry players in the market, including ALD Vacuum Technologies, EOS, FCT Systeme, Gasbarre Products, Linn High Therm, PVA Tepla Group, and Simuwu
Summary
Spark plasma sintering, and other advanced sintering technologies track their origins to the early 1900s, but in recent years they have been gaining strong and rapidly increasing interest for fabrication of highperformance materials with unique properties that cannot be produced by other methods. These materials can be atypical not only in terms of composition, but also as far as microstructure and/or configuration.
BCC Research has identified three main categories of advanced sintering technologies (AST): currentassisted, which includes spark plasma sintering; vacuum-assisted; and electromagnetic radiationassisted. Although these advanced sintering technologies have theoretically countless applications, they are primarily used in six sectors: aerospace, automotive, electronics/optoelectronics, energy, mechanical/metallurgical and medical.
As shown in the Summary Table, the global market for AST equipment increased from $REDACTED million in 2015 to $REDACTED million in 2016 and is estimated to have been valued at $REDACTED million in 2017, corresponding to a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of REDACTED% during the two-year period.
Electromagnetic radiation-assisted sintering (e.g., selective laser sintering and microwave sintering) currently account for the largest share of the market, at an estimated REDACTED% of the total in 2017, corresponding to $REDACTED million in sales. Within this segment, selective laser sintering systems for coatingsand 3D printing represent the most popular type.
The next-largest category is vacuum-assisted sintering with estimated equipment revenues of $REDACTED million in 2017 (or REDACTED% of the total), while the current-assisted sintering segment, which is primarily comprised of spark plasma sintering systems, represented REDACTED% of the total. Demand for AST systems is projected to continue to grow at a healthy pace during the next five years, due to a variety of factors, including the following:
- Increasing popularity of 3D printed devices.
- Higher penetration in different sectors, particularly medical, electronics, optoelectronics and energy.
- Need for sintering processes that allow for fast firing, high-throughput and more automation.
- Rapidly rising levels of related R&D activities.
Although sales volume of AST equipment is expected to be characterized by good growth, revenues will expand at a slower pace due to ongoing price pressure. As a result, the total market for AST equipmentis forecast to grow at a CAGR of REDACTED% from 2017 through 2022, reaching global revenues of nearly $REDACTED billion by 2022.