Non-Destructive Testing Equipment Market

Market Overview

The global non-destructive testing equipment market size was valued at USD 2058 million in 2021. The market is expected to be valued at USD 4022 million at a CAGR of 7% during the forecast period (2022–2030).

Non-destructive testing or NDT is a process that is performed that allows for a thorough and careful inspection and evaluation of materials without destroying or damaging them. The testing performed is used to evaluate the various properties of structures, materials, and components, along with identifying and assessing any defects on it. At the same time, it also maintains the integrity of that structure so that no damage shall happen. It is performed in a manner that does not affect the future usefulness of the object that is put to the test. 

The process involves inspection, testing, or evaluating the material, examining any disparities in its characteristics without hampering the material’s part. 

Non-destructive equipment is an essential part of every industry’s toolbox. It is important to constantly keep track of the equipment conditions and working and to check if there is any kind of disparities found in the characteristics. This can have a minimal effect on the operating performance of that material. 

Market Dynamics

Global Market Drivers

Aging Infrastructure and their Advancing Need for Maintenance

Non-destructive testing has surfaced as a feasible and effective method to monitor and inspect structures in place of the traditional means. The structures that are evaluated are generally the aging structures. These aging structures need comparatively higher levels of maintenance and repair as corresponded to the newly constructed structures. 

There is always a challenge associated with the construction of new infrastructure in any industry, and the restrictive cost of constructing those structures, and rigorous environmental regulations make it difficult to find proper locations for construction. This results in companies trying to explore different ways to extend the life of the existing structures, which ultimately pushes the demand for the non-destructive equipment market. The existing and old infrastructures and materials that are required to be maintained urge the companies to regularly, extensively test and check up on the materials, which leads to continual spending of the companies on non-destructive equipment, leading to the growth in the non-destructive equipment market.

Some structures of an economy or industry have been in use for almost a hundred years, and non-destructive equipment allows companies to check the health of such ancient structures or models before they cannot be retained any further. Henceforth, the industries regularly make large spending on the periodical examination of the structures.

Stringent Measures Mandating Safety

Non-destructive testing equipment allows for the frequent inspection of the materials and infrastructure of the industries to check for any issue with the mechanism or any default in any part of the significant property. This inspection is done without hampering the working efficiency of the equipment. It does not harness the quality of the material or infrastructure, making the method pleasant and feasible. This most definitely helps in the timely detection of any faults or damage in the materials so that several proactive measures can be taken at the right time to ensure safety and restrict any incident from occurring. 

The companies use this method to make sure that there is no significant damage or harm occurring to their material, and in case of occurrence of the same, it is beneficial for the companies to detect it at an early stage so that the damage can be repaired with minimal cost involved and minimal damage to the others as well. Non-destructive equipment allows the companies to use their materials for a longer period by disclosing any defects on their property, reducing their cost and efforts in renovating and maintaining the same. Constant and updated check-ups of the materials by the industries lead to extensive usage of non-destructive equipment making the demand high.

The increased regulations in ensuring safety in various end-user sectors urge industries like construction, aerospace and defense to use non-destructive testing equipment.

Global Market Restraints

Scarcity of Trained Personnel in the Field

Non-destructive testing equipment can only be operated by skilled and trained personnel who understand the equipment's ins and outs. These are certified personnel who undergo detailed training in the presence of subject-matter experts and gain the expertise to operate on the various techniques and use the skills involved in analyzing the data. However, there is an increased rise in the demand for skilled non-destructive technicians across the globe.

There are only a limited number of training centers around the globe that provide such training on the use of non-destructive equipment, which results in a limited number of people learning the skills to operate. This results in the market for non-destructive equipment negatively, as companies have a demand for highly skilled personnel to operate on the material to examine their structures and models, and hence the workers fall short in numbers, the demand also subsequently falls. 

Industries such as aerospace, petrochemical, utility, and power account for the greatest number of skilled non-destructive workers, which is around 33%, 30%, and 11%, respectively. These industries particularly require non-destructive equipment Level III workers to operate on the materials.

Regional Analysis

The regional segmentation of the global non-destructive testing equipment market share is as: North America, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa, Europe, and Latin America. North America and Asia-Pacific largely dominate the global market.

The North America region in 2021, had a share of USD 912 million and is expected to be valued at USD 1815 million growing at a CAGR of 8% during the forecast period. This region has some of the major players in the non-destructive testing equipment market. These industry end-users are majorly from manufacturing, transportation, aviation, oil and gas, marine, and power generation units. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), around 200,000 plus aircraft in the United States must undergo a periodic safety inspection using non-destructive testing equipment. Also, the US government is increasingly investing in oil and natural gas for growth in the biotech supercluster.

In Asia-Pacific, the revenue share is expected to reach the valuation of USD 1093 million by 2030 at a CAGR of 9%, which is double the amount in 2021. Among the countries in Asia-Pacific, China holds the largest share, as the country is the world’s largest producer of electricity. These numbers are likely to rise with the growing demand for electricity, thus boosting growth in energy production. The usage of the nuclear and renewable segments will gradually grow in terms of non-destructive applications in the country.

Segmental Analysis

Based on technology, the non-destructive testing equipment market share is categorized as radiography testing equipment, ultrasonic testing equipment, magnetic particle testing equipment, liquid penetrant testing equipment, visual inspection equipment, eddy current equipment, and other technology equipment.

Ultrasonic testing equipment and radiography testing equipment are the top two technologies with the highest revenue generation in the market of non-destructive testing equipment. 

The ultrasonic testing equipment usually works on the acoustic principle for fault checking. This non-destructive inspection equipment sends sound waves through ultrasound conducting materials in an approximate frequency which ranges between 500 kHz and 50 MHz. The transit time of ultrasound from the equipment is used to find out the position and size of the damage or fault on the material being tested. This equipment is methodically used to check for any defects like porosity, lack of fusion and cracks, etc.

The revenue share of ultrasonic testing equipment in the non-destructive testing equipment market amounted to USD 616 million for the year 2021, which will reach over USD 1121 million by the year 2030 at a CAGR of 7%. The increased use of ultrasonic testing equipment to determine a material’s thickness or to detect any cracks in it will most likely drive the growth in this industry.

Radiography testing equipment involves the use of either X-rays or gamma-rays to produce a radiograph of the material and checks if there are any changes in its thickness in it or any defect that can be detected. These are generally used for safety assessment and quality control purposes. The major industries that use radiography testing equipment are manufacturing, military, and aerospace. Radiography testing equipment detects the damages easily without hampering the quality of the material. This, in fact, leads to the growth in the market share of the industry valued at USD 525 million in 2021. The market is anticipated to be valued at USD 1120 million at a CAGR of 9% by 2030.

Another bifurcation in done on the basis of end-user of the non-destructive testing equipment market: oil and gas, power and energy, aerospace and defense, automotive and transportation construction, and the other end-user industries. In terms of the revenue share of the market, the two dominant industry is oil and gas and power and energy. The oil and gas industry generated around USD 796 million in 2021. This market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7% and reach the mark of USD 1466 million by 2030. The market is expected to remain dominant throughout the forecast period. Next to oil and gas is power and energy, where the revenue market share is anticipated to be around USD 705 million by 2030 at a CAGR of 7%.

Non-destructive testing equipment is a common phenomenon in both the oil and gas industry as well as power and energy, where the installation of new technology of non-destructive testing equipment market drive the demand to detect corrosion, pipe thinning, and potential loss of integrity. This helps the companies involved to reduce the number of unplanned shutdowns. The usage of non-destructive testing equipment market in power and energy is expected to rise, accounting for the emerging and growing concern of using eco-friendly natural gas power plants, such as the regular maintenance of nuclear power plants, and to measure its life expectancy and safety.

Recent Developments

• 2021 March, Zetec Inc. launched a scanner named ElbowFlex for detecting flow accelerated corrosion and for measuring wall thickness on pipe elbows.
• Olympus Corporation launched RollerFORM XL scanner to accelerate the inspection of composite components.
• April 2022, Applus Services acquired IDV and will operate its three statutory vehicle inspection stations in Madrid.