Ceramic Coatings Market Overview
Ceramic coatings have several benefits associated to them, which encourage their usage in various industries. For instance, these coatings lower the operating temperature of industrial equipment, reduce their wearing, and decrease the friction in engine parts, such as piston tops, rings, and valves. Furthermore, with the implementation of stringent vehicle emission norms and environmental regulations, automobile manufacturers across the globe are increasingly employing these coatings, toeing the line, to develop efficient vehicles. This, in turn, is boosting the growth of the ceramic coatings market.
Ceramic coatings are formulations of inorganic materials that are processed and applied at high temperatures on metal substrates. The coatings are generally alumina, alumina–magnesia, chromia, silica, silicon carbide, titania, silicon nitride, and zirconia compositions. In the report, the ceramic coatings market is segmented on the basis of type, technology, application, and region.
Based on type, the ceramic coatings market is classified into carbide coatings, nitride coatings, oxide coatings, and others, where the “others” category comprises chromia and alumina coatings. These coatings are used for protecting metal surfaces from corrosion, thermal damage, friction, and wear. The coatings do so by forming a sacrificial layer on the metal surface. Oxide coatings resist corrosion and oxidation at high temperatures, whereas carbide coatings provide significant friction and wear resistance.
On the basis of technology, the ceramic coatings market is segregated into thermal spray, physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and others, where the “others” category includes dipping, sol–gel, micro-oxidation, packed diffusion, ionic beam surface treatment, and laser-assisted techniques. Thermal sprays are the most common means of applying these coatings on metal surfaces. This is because of the high degree of compatibility of these sprays with a wide array of metal surfaces.
The ceramic coatings market, on the basis of application, is classified into transportation and automotive; energy; aerospace and defense; industrial goods; healthcare; and others. The others category includes application of these coatings in the telecommunications industry.
Based on region, the ceramic coatings market is categorized into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. Geographically, APAC is expected to occupy a significant share in the market during the forecast period. This can be mainly attributed to the high consumption of these coatings in the automotive, biomedical, aerospace, and defense industries of the region. In addition, increasing investments by major market players for the R&D of these coatings and the expansion of their product portfolios and production capabilities are expected to contribute to the growth of the APAC ceramic coatings market.
Ceramic Coatings Market Dynamics
Drivers
The major factor driving the ceramic coatings market is the increased consumption of these coatings in the automotive, aerospace, and healthcare industries. Thermal spray coatings are applied on turbo-machinery such as rotor-path linings, high-pressure turbine seals, compressor seals, bearings, oil seals, airframe and engine components of commercial and defense aircraft. These coatings are also widely used on the exhaust systems of automobiles to decrease the exhaust temperature, thereby boosting the engine performance. Besides, application of these coatings on exhaust systems result in around 3% gain in horsepower in automobiles. Additionally, these coatings have low heat absorption rate, which makes them suitable for application on heaters to maintain low temperature under the hood of the vehicle. Thus, adoption of thermal sprays due to these advantages and growth in automotive and aerospace industries is expected to boost the growth of the ceramic coatings market.
Restraints
The growth in the ceramic coatings market is primarily hindered by factors such as the high cost of production and application of these coatings and consistency issues in terms of thermal spray application.
Ceramic Coatings Market Competitive Landscape
The ceramic coatings market is fragmented in nature due to the presence of a large number of manufacturers. Recent strategic initiatives indicate that the end-user companies are increasingly focusing on acquisitions and mergers with companies with differentiated technologies and patents to reduce the production cost and develop competitively priced products. Besides, a large number of product launches and expansion activities in the last five years suggest of the strong growth potential in the market for players. For instance, in 2018, BAF Industries announced the addition of Synergy ceramic coatings to its Pro product line. Other smaller manufacturers have also introduced new product lines for do-it-yourself (DIY) and industrial application segments.
Some of the major players operating in the global ceramic coatings market are A&A Coatings, APS Materials, Aremco Products, Bodycote, Ceramic Polymer, DowDuPont, Fosbel, Keronite Group, Kurt J. Lesker, Morgan Technical Ceramics, BAF industries, Oerlikon Metco, Praxair Surface Technologies, Saint-Gobain, Swain Tech Coatings, and Zircotec.
The study provides the historical as well the forecast market size data for various countries, including the U.S., Canada, Germany, the U.K., France, Italy, Spain, China, Japan, India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa.
