Maxtech Releases Research Report on Commercial and Infrared Imaging Equipment Markets

Maxtech International, Inc. is releasing the 2014 edition of its market research report on commercial and dual-use infrared imaging equipment markets (Vol. IRW-C).

World infrared imaging markets are poised to enter a new phase. The development of new low-cost uncooled imaging detector cores is expected to lower prices in a wide range of commercial infrared camera applications and lead to a new level of growth. In addition, two companies have already introduced thermal imaging attachments for smartphones, one for consumers, the other for "professional" thermographers. A third smartphone imager is just around the corner.

Despite all of this ferment and the potential for new growth, existing infrared markets have not had as much revenue growth over the last two years as expected because of steep price reductions. The overall commercial and dual-use market grew by less than 1% in 2013. However, the "commercial-only" portion grew by over 12%.

The current major application markets include Predictive Maintenance, Building Inspection, R&D, Process Control, Nondestructive Testing (NDT), Fire Fighting, Automotive Night Vision, Aircraft Enhanced Vision Systems (EVS), Security/Surveillance, Law Enforcement/Personal Vision Systems and dual-use uncooled sights (Thermal Weapon Sights, Driver's Vision Enhancers, etc.)

Some of these application markets fared better than others in 2013. But they are all expected to benefit over the next five years from lower cost uncooled FPAs from detector suppliers that are establishing new partnerships with semiconductor fabs, implementing Wafer Level Packaging (WLP), Wafer Level Optics and integrating electronics functions on ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits).

In addition, new uncooled FPA suppliers have emerged in China, South Korea and Turkey and new materials are being used in microbolometers.

Spot Infrared Thermometry sensors (pyrometers) continue to have broad acceptance in special high temperature industrial process control applications and at the very low-end in consumer markets as prices decrease. As prices drop, a convergence between the imaging and spot markets is expected.

At the same time, new cooled detector technologies are being developed for high-end thermal imaging. Developments are accelerating in superlattice detectors and high operating temperature ("HOT") FPAs.

NEW IN THIS REPORT: MARKET FORECASTS FOR THERMAL IMAGING IN CONSUMER APPLICATIONS, SUCH AS SMARTPHONES.

Maxtech International's up-to-date research covers the following application areas:

Predictive Maintenance (electrical and mechanical condition monitoring), Building/HVAC Inspection, Process Control, Research & Development, Traditional Nondestructive Testing, Law Enforcement and Personal Vision Systems (for hunters and sportsmen), Medical/Biomedical, Automotive Night Vision, Aircraft Enhanced Vision Systems, Fire Fighting, Surveillance/Security, Emerging Consumer Applications (including smartphone thermal imagers) and Remote Sensing (including space programs). Dual-Use applications covered include Weapon Sights, Driver's Vision Enhancers, Microsensors, Airborne and Ground applications and others. However, strictly military systems (infrared missile seekers, targeting systems, etc.) are not covered in this report.

The World Market for Commercial & Dual-Use Infrared Imaging and Infrared Thermometry Equipment (Vol. IRW-C) contains over 400 pages of up-to-date market information and forecasts and is priced at $4,500.

The report provides the following valuable market information:

• The current (2013) size of individual world product markets and application markets.
• Five-year projections in over 16 product and application markets (2014 - 2019)
• Geographic segmentation of the overall market into the following regions:
• North America, Europe, Pacific Rim, Asia, Latin America, Africa and Middle East
• The expected market growth of dual-use military IR equipment
• The expected growth of Emerging Markets (Aircraft Enhanced Vision, Micro Sensors, etc.)
• The expected growth in new Consumer Thermal Imaging applications including Smartphone Thermal Imagers
• Technology trends and the effect of export controls on market growth
• Competitive analyses and market shares
• Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) of infrared companies
• Profiles of 64 suppliers of Infrared Imaging and Infrared Thermometry equipment

Executive Summary
A concise summary of the important results in the report.

Introduction
A review of definitions, the scope of topics covered, the methodology used and the sources of information.

Product Analysis
Major product offerings, instrument capabilities and pricing trends of manufacturers are reviewed and compared.

Cooled Focal Plane Arrays, Cameras and Systems: including detectors made of mercury cadmium telluride, indium antimonide, GaAs/GaAlAs Quantum Well Infrared Photodetectors (QWIPs), lead sulfide/lead selenide, extrinsic silicon, and new Type II Superlattice (T2SL), nBn, XBn and HOT FPAs and others. The status of various detector technologies is discussed: which ones are declining, which ones are thriving.

New developments in detector cooling technologies: Thermoelectric cooling, Stirling-cycle cooling and J-T cooling.

New developments in small cryocoolers for use with HOT detectors.

New developments in infrared materials used for lenses (including molded lenses), windows and coatings.

Uncooled Focal Plane Arrays and cameras of the following types:

• Microbolometer Arrays (vanadium oxide, amorphous silicon and emerging materials: TiOx, NiOx, vanadium niobium oxide)
• SOI FPAs
• Ferroelectric (Pyroelectric) Arrays
• Thermopile/Thermoelectric Arrays
• Indium Gallium Arsenide (InGaAs) short-wave arrays
• Novel new uncooled focal plane array technologies in development

Uncooled focal plane array development and production plans are described separately for the U.S., Canada, Europe, Japan and the Rest of the World.

Manufacturers' offerings in each of the following areas are described, compared and pricing given:

Infrared Viewers, Cooled and Uncooled Focal Plane Array Systems, Focal Plane Array Test Systems, Infrared Microscopes, Thermal Wave (Thermal Pulse) Systems for Flaw Detection, Multispectral and Hyperspectral Imaging Systems (including infrared payloads planned by NASA over the next ten years), Portable Infrared Thermometers (Spot Radiometers), Stationary Infrared Thermometers (Spot Radiometers) and Line Scanning Infrared Thermometers.

More than 100 specific models of equipment are described. In many cases, detailed specifications are given.

Dual-use programs covered include: uncooled Driver's Vision Enhancers (DVE), Thermal Weapon Sights (TWS), Enhanced Night Vision Goggles (ENVG), uncooled thermal binoculars, microsensors, airborne navigation and surveillance systems.

Technology Trends

Leading research and technology developments are discussed. Government funding for infrared R&D is reviewed. Novel Uncooled Technologies: Who is developing what? Who are the leaders?

3D Imaging and Range Gated Imaging are reviewed as a complement to thermal imaging.

The effect of export controls (at both the national and international level) on market growth is discussed in detail.

Applications Analysis

The following applications and their market dynamics are discussed in detail:

• Predictive Maintenance/ Condition Monitoring
• Building/HVAC Inspection
• Process & Quality Control
• Failure Analysis
• Gas Sensing/Imaging
• Research & Development
• Laser Beam Profiling
• Nondestructive Testing
• Automotive Night Vision
• Fire Fighting
• Homeland/Border Security
• Law Enforcement
• Security
• Personal Vision Systems
• Smartphone Thermal Imagers and Other Consumer Applications
• Aircraft Enhanced Vision
• Commercial Aircraft Anti-Missile Systems
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
• Marine Applications
• Medical & Biomedical
• Astronomy
• Telecommunications
• Uncooled Thermal Weapon Sights and Enhanced Night Vision Goggles (ENVG)
• Other Uncooled Dual-Use/Military Sights

Market Forecasts

Market sizes and forecasts from 2013 to 2019 are given for Infrared Imaging equipment. Forecasts are provided separately for cooled and uncooled infrared imaging equipment in the following application areas:

• Predictive Maintenance/Condition Monitoring
• Building Inspection/HVAC Inspection
• Process Control
• Research & Development
• Nondestructive Testing
• Law Enforcement/Personal Vision Systems
• Fire Fighting
• Automotive Night Vision (Consumer)
• Automotive Night Vision (Commercial)
• Aircraft Enhanced Vision Systems (EVS)
• Security/Surveillance
• Consumer and Emerging
• Dual-Use/Military Airborne
• Dual-Use/Military Ground
• Dual-Use/Military Weapon Sights
• Dual-Use/Military Microsensors
• Other.

All Forecasts are given separately for North America and the Rest of the World.

The overall market is segmented by geography into the following regions: North America, Europe, Pacific Rim, Asia, Latin America, Africa and Middle East.

Suppliers of Infrared Imaging and Infrared Thermometry Equipment

The competitive environment in IR Imaging and IR Thermometry is analyzed. Major manufacturers of Infrared Imaging and Thermometry equipment, their marketing strategies and profitability (including market shares) are analyzed. Market shares are given separately for suppliers of Commercial & Dual-Use, Commercial Only, Thermography, Fire Fighting, Security/surveillance, Uncooled FPAs/Modules, and InGaAs cameras. A total of 64 company profiles are provided, including:

• AIM Infrarot-Module
• Airbus Defence (Cassidian Optr)
• Autoliv
• Axis Communications
• BAE Systems
• Bosch Security
• Bullard
• Dali (Zhejiang Dali)
• DCG Systems
• DIAS Infrared
• Draeger
• DRS Technologies
• E2V
• Elbit/ElOp
• Elbit/Kollsman
• Esterline CMC Electronics
• FLIR Systems
• Fluke
• GWIC
• General Dynamics GIT
• Honeywell International
• IRISYS
• IRnova
• ISG/Infrasys
• JenOptik
• L-3 Communications
• L-3 Cincinnati Electronics
• L-3 Infrared Products
• L-3 Wescam
• Land Instruments Intl./Ametek
• Lockheed Martin
• LumaSense
• Max-Viz/Astronics
• Mine Safety Appliances
• Mitsubishi Electric
• NEC
• Nippon Avionics
• Omega Engineering
• Opgal
• Pelco (Schneider Electric)
• Qioptiq
• QmagiQ
• Raytheon Vision Systems
• Rockwell Collins
• Sagem
• SATIR
• Scott Safety
• Selex ES
• Semi-Conductor Devices (SCD)
• Sofradir
• Sofradir EC (ex Electrophysics)
• Sony Security
• Teledyne Imaging Sensors
• Teledyne Judson Technologies
• Testo
• Thales
• Thermoteknix
• Tyrian Systems
• Ulirvision
• ULIS
• UTC Aerospace (Sens. Unlim.)
• Vumii
• Wuhan Guide
• Xenics

Other companies included in the report: Active Photonics, AeroVironment, Agilent, Agiltron, AIRS, Allied Vision Technologies, Amorphous Materials, Artray, ATCCQ, ATN, Audi, Automation Technology GmbH, Avon-ISI, BMW, Bayspec, Bendix, Boeing Spectrolab, Bop, Bridge Semiconductor, Bruker, CI Sys., Cal Sensors, Cantronic, Chino, Chunghwa Telecom, Cobham (RVision), Cohu, Compix, Controp, CorDEX Instruments, Corning, Cox, Critical Imaging, Current Corp., CVI Melles Griot, Cypress Semiconductor, Daimler, Dassault, DataRay, Delphi, Denel, DeWalt, edevis GmbH, EMX, Equinox, Excelitas, Exergen, FJR, Fermionics, Fraunhofer Institut, Freescale Semiconductor, Fujitsu, GHOPTO, Gas Imaging Technology, General Monitors, Gulfstream, HGH Infrared Systems, Hamamatsu, HanVision, Headwall Photonics, Heimann Sensor, Honda, Honeywell/Morning Pride, Horiba, Hurley, i3system, IEC Infrared, INO, Ideal Industries, Infrared Cameras Inc. (ICI), Infrared Newco, InfrRedx, InfraTec Intevac, Invisage, IRay, IRCAM, IRCameras, ISP Optics, IR Labs, Janos Technology, Jazz Semiconductor, Keii, KIRO-CH Photonics, KLA-Tencor, LETI/LIR, Lapis Semiconductor, Lexavia, Lightpath Technologies, Lumiense, Magnity, McBain Systems, MikroSens, Milwaukee Tool, Moog, Movitherm, Mu Optics, Nav-TV, N2 Imaging, New Imaging Technologies (NIT), New Infrared Technologies (NIT), Newport, NikkoIA, Ningbo Sunny, Nissan, Nivisys, NORIR (Kunming North Infrared), Northrop Grumman, Novati Technologies, Novotech, Ocean View, Omron, ON Semiconductor, Obzerv, OIP Sensor Systems, Ophir, Optex, Optics 1, Optikos, Optris, Palmer Wahl, Panasonic, Princeton Lightwave, Quantum Focus Instruments, QWIP Technologies, Raptor Photonics, Roper Scientific, Sage, Santa Barbara Focalplane, Santa Barbara Infrared, Sarnoff, Schott, Seiko NPC, Sensonor, Siemens, SightLogiX, SiOnyx, Snell Group, St. Jude Medical, Tamron, Telops, Thermal Wave Imaging, Thermoconcept, Toshiba, Trijicon, Trueview EVS, UD Holdings, Umicore, Williamson, Xenics, Zytemp.