Global Spark Plasma Sintering Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

Global Spark Plasma Sintering Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The Spark Plasma Sintering Market is projected to register a CAGR of over 5.9% during the forecast period. The rising adoption of the electric current-assisted sintering method as a tool for the consolidation of various metallic/non-metallic powders and the increasing adoption of the field-assisted sintering technique (FAST) for designing nanomaterials are some of the significant growth drivers for the studied market.

Key Highlights

• In the last couple of decades, elaboration techniques based on high current intensities have attracted substantial interest from industrial sectors. Among these techniques, spark plasma sintering has emerged as the most adopted method in the last few years. The SPS technique has recently made significant advancements in materials science and materials processing due to the capability of fast and efficient densification of various materials and the suitability of the equipment for conducting solid-state syntheses and syntheses.
• SPS, also known as FAST, is a high-speed powder consolidation technology that develops quality-centered products from nanomaterials. The technology has gained significant attention for its ability to retain nanocrystalline microstructures and create materials with interesting functional properties. SPS systems have surpassed conventional methods, like hot press (HP) sintering, hot isostatic pressing (HIP), or atmospheric furnaces. Micro-spark/plasma is the most common technique among various proposed physical mechanisms for the SPS process.
• In recent years, SPS has emerged as the preferred option for producing high-strength, ultra-fine crystalline materials; dispersion strengthened materials, thermoelectric or metal-diamond (or generally metal-carbon) composite materials, and sputter targets. Besides, the process facilitates the adjustment of temperature gradients within the sintering body during compaction. It enables the production of gradient and layered materials with widely differing properties (e.g., ZrO2/stainless steel, Al2O3/titanium).
• The increasing adoption of the SPS method as a tool for consolidating powders is also demonstrated by a large number of papers published in recent years. Although SPS is still an emerging technology, slow developments, research, and applications have been increasingly witnessed in recent years, attracting great attention from the research and industrial sectors. For instance, one of the most common applications of SPS is the sintering of high melting point materials, such as titanium nitride. They have been extensively used in the aerospace industry for compressor, turbine, and pressure piping in an engine, owing to their high corrosion resistance, high strength, and relatively lightweight. These factors are fuelling their deployment in the automotive and defense sector.
• Some of the industrial applications of SPS include fuel cell materials, high strength and wear-resistant tooling, sputter targets, diamond compaction for abrasives, and the development of pure or mixed metallics, ceramics, or cermets, where maintaining nanometric and fine microstructure is required. The increasing adoption of innovative metals, composite materials in industrial and consumer products, and ceramics is anticipated to grow during the forecast period, owing to their increasing availability and decreasing manufacturing costs.
• Moreover, during the COVID-19 lockdown, many types of research were carried out in the SPS, which had a positive influence on the studied market growth. For instance, in April 2021, IDAHO researchers will help the industry make high-performance parts inexpensive and durable. Idaho National Laboratory developed advanced capabilities to help the industry design efficient SPS manufacturing processes. The lab’s latest addition, one of the largest machines of its kind worldwide, makes it possible to manufacture new materials at industrially relevant scales. INL designed and built four custom SPS machines that range from supporting small experiments on the bench scale to industrial-scale, large-format, and high-throughput systems.
• However, SPS requires a significant up-front investment in time and expense. The operational variables include but are not limited to heat ramp rates, material properties, die design and material, hold temperatures and times, force strategies, vacuum, atmospheric conditions, power settings, and cooling conditions. This can act as a restraining factor to the growth of the market.

Key Market TrendsThe Automotive Segment is Expected to Drive the Market's Growth

• Mg-matrix composites are increasingly used in automotive and aerospace applications. Magnesium (Mg) and its alloys are popular metals in automotive applications. It results mainly from the low density (1.74 g/cm3) of Mg, which aids in reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The increasing demand for weight-critical applications enforces the enhancement of the mechanical properties of these materials. One of the ways is to combine the light weight of Mg with the superior strength and stiffness of a ceramic.
• Resulting from this mix, metal-matrix composites based on Mg are increasingly more appealing as advanced materials for important engineering applications. Mg-matrix composites are generally fabricated by molding and powder metallurgy methods; one of the promising ones is spark plasma sintering (SPS). This method is desired for earlier cryomilling of powder materials to protect grains before they increase in size and for powder materials that are difficult to sinter by conventional sintering.
• The automotive industry, especially the Electric Vehicle sector, is one of the significant opportunities for studied market vendors, where SPS is used in the development of thermoelectric generators. This developing green technology converts waste heat from engine exhaust and industrial plants into electricity.
• For instance, according to the International Energy Agency's Global EV Outlook 2022 data, sales of electric vehicles (EVs) doubled in 2021 from 2020 to a new record of 6.6 million. In 2012, just 120 000 electric cars were sold worldwide. Nearly 10% of global car sales were electric in 2021, four times the market share in 2019. The global sales of electric cars are rising strongly in 2022, with 2 million sold in the first quarter, up 75% from the same period in 2021.
• Further, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), in 2021, over 2.9 million battery electric vehicles were sold in China, growing 162% compared to 2020. Moreover, about 603,000 plug-in hybrid cars were sold in China during the same year, an increase of 140% compared to 2020. The upsurge in demand for Evs is expected to offer lucrative opportunities for the studied market.

Asia Pacific Region to Witness Significant Growth

• Asia-Pacific is one of the major adopters of the SPS systems, owing to its dominance in the global manufacturing sector, especially in the electronic and semiconductor industries.
• For instance, according to World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS), semiconductor sales in China reached USD 16.73 billion in April 2022. The April 2022 figure marks an increase from April 2021, when the sales reached USD 14.8 billion.
• With the growing compliance with international quality standards, the medical tourism industry is also growing in the Asia Pacific region. Customized bio-materials, such as artificial replacements for bones, require high durability and strength. According to the National Centre for Health Statistics (NCHS), the cost of hip replacement surgery in India is lower by at least a fifth of the cost in western countries. Attracting foreign patients, the need for SPS joint replacement biomaterials is growing.
• The growing trend of digitization is also witnessed in the studied market. Market vendors are offering products with new features, such as an integrated touch screen control package and full HTML-5 interface, that enables any computer with a modern web browser to connect to the furnace and control the system securely. Vendors are also offering techniques through which data is automatically captured and provides unlimited virtual storage.
• The countries in the region are also in the top listings of the highest spenders on military and defense. For instance, in March 2022, China hiked its annual defense budget by 7.1% to USD 230 billion from USD 209 billion in 2021, three times that of India's military spending. China's hike in defense spending comes amid the People's Liberation Army's growing incidents of muscle-flexing in the strategic Indo-Pacific region. Such instances offer several opportunities for the expansion of the studied market.

Competitive Landscape

The Global Spark Plasma Sintering Market is consolidated with the presence of key players like Thermal Technology LLC dominating the market. The service provider requires high capital cost and expertise with the technology for the installation, which is challenging the entry of new players in the market.

• June 2022 - Safran Corporate Ventures announced that it had made a joint investment with partners in the company Sintermat, a French startup that has developed expertise in spark plasma sintering (SPS), as part of a funding round exceeding EUR 6 million. The other investors comprised UI Investissement, Crédit Agricole de Champagne-Bourgogne via its Carvest fund, and the Definvest fund managed by Bpifrance Investissement on behalf of the French defense procurement agency DGA (Direction Générale de l’Armement).

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