Instruments for materials characterization utilize a diverse range of individual techniques to explore the material properties of the sample, as opposed to chemical or optical properties. With the exception of calorimetry, sales in all of the individual markets declined in 2009, with the total market dipping below $2 billion. Fortunately, the forecast for 2010 is one of recovery, with all of the techniques expected to achieve growth, with the average growth rate for the total market at 4%. Growth should be even better in 2011, resulting in a total market size of nearly $2.2 billion.

The largest segment of the materials characterization market is physical testing, which is forecast to have the slowest growth. Although physical testing does have research applications in material science, the majority of applications involve strength and fatigue testing of consumer products and components, including automobile and electronic components. This sector was very negatively affected by the economic recession and has been slow to recover.

Thermal analysis, the second largest segment of the materials characterization market, is quite diverse with many specific techniques. Some, like differential scanning calorimetry, have significant life science applications in pharmaceuticals and food, while others are more oriented toward the analysis of materials like plastics and other chemicals. Thermal analysis sales should achieve solid growth of about 5.2% in 2010.

The fastest growth in the materials characterization market will be in calorimetry and viscometry, although these two techniques are on different trajectories. Calorimetry has enjoyed excellent growth for the past few years due to the greater adoption of sensitive calorimeters in demanding life science research applications. Calorimetry sales avoided the general decline in this market in 2009, and will again leap forward with the greatest growth in 2010. In contrast, the technological advances in viscometry and rheometry have been modest, and this market suffered a significant decline in sales in 2009. Although the market will rebound in 2010, demand will still fall short of the high water mark in 2008.

The remaining markets, particle characterization and petroleum analyzers, are forecast to post solid growth in the mid single-digit range. Particle characterization has the broadest user base, with applications ranging from quantum dots to flour. Although petroleum analyzers have a very restricted application focus, research into biofuels and other alternative fuels continues to have a positive effect on demand, as replacement sales to the traditional market are augmented by sales to new customers in this emerging area. Nevertheless, petroleum analyzers remains the smallest of the individual techniques in the materials characterization market, making up only 7% of the market.

Although materials characterization is fragmented compared to other technology sectors of lab instrumentation, some consolidation has occurred. The top five vendors now account for 39% of the total market. The top vendor, Instron (Illinois Tool Works), accounts for 9% of the total market. Instron had previously been confined solely to the physical testing market, but its 2008 acquisition of CEAST (see IBO 4/15/09) has given it a small stake in the thermal analysis and viscometry markets. Waters also has a market share of 9%, as its TA Instruments division is a leader in thermal analysis and viscometry. Due to a number of acquisitions in recent years, Waters is also now quite significant in the calorimetry market. Shimadzu is an important provider in most of the materials characterization markets and has an 8% share. MTS Systems and Zwick, after Instron, are the most important vendors of physical testing instruments. Vendors such as Malvern (Spectris), Mettler-Toledo and PAC (Roper Industries) are the leaders in particular technologies.

Materials Characterization Instrumentation 2009–2010

Market Share Growth Rate

Physical Testing 31.0% 1.1%

Thermal Analysis 23.3% 5.2%

Particle Characterization 18.7% 4.6%

Viscometry/Rheometry 11.9% 6.4%

Calorimetry 7.8% 6.5%

Petroleum Analyzer 7.3% 3.9%

Total 100.0% 4.0%

Materials Characterization Instrumentation Market Leaders

Physical Testing Instron (ITW), MTS Systems

Thermal Analysis TA Instruments (Waters), PerkinElmer

Particle Characterization Malvern (Spectris), Beckman Coulter

Viscometry/Rheometry TA Instruments, Thermo Fisher Sci.

Petroleum Analyzers PAC (Roper), Stanhope-Seta

Calorimetery Mettler-Toledo, TA Instruments

Chart: 2008–2011 Total Materials Characterization Instrumentation Market

2008 2009 2010 2011

Physical $2,112 $1,983 $2,062 $2,170

Chart: 2009 Materials Characterization Market by Product Type

2009

Initial Systems 1361

Aftermarket 286

Service 336

Chart: 2009 Materials Characterization Suppliers Market Shares

Instron (ITW) 9%

Waters 9%

Shimadzu 8%

MTS 7%

Zwick 6%

Others 61%