The X-ray Tube market was valued at USD 2704.7 million in 2019 and is expected to reach USD 3725.6 million by 2025, at a CAGR of 5% over the forecast period 2020 - 2025. With innovations in electronics, the size of these systems has significantly decreased. With the availability of compact systems, X-ray machines are now used in various fields, such as airport security, baggage scanning, metallurgical applications, etc. In addition, increasing medical cases and accidental injuries around the globe are influencing the growth of the market studied.

  • Since the discovery of X-ray tubes, significant developments have taken place to meet various requirements, such as shorter exposure time, multiple repetitive exposures, capacity to accept the heavy load, or enhanced tube life. This has become possible by having multiple focal sports, faster-rotating anodes, better anode disc materials, or maybe by replacing glass envelope with metal and ceramic materials. Thus, a lot of physical changes have taken place in the X-ray tube design, whereas, the principle of production of X-rays remains the same and the problem of high heat production still remains unresolved.
  • X-ray tubes transformed the field of medical science about a century ago, by creating a non-invasive way to detect internal structures in the human body. The field originated when Wilhelm Roentgen discovered X-rays in 1895. Since then, X-rays have made their way into the healthcare sector, by helping diagnose medical conditions and diseases. From taking pictures using a normal camera, they have evolved into taking images digitally, which can be accessed immediately and diagnosed accordingly.



Scope of the Report

An X-ray tube is a device that produces X-rays while subjected to an electric charge. The equipment mainly consists of four parts, including an anode, cathode, glass envelope, and protective housing. The electrodes are placed in a vacuum glass envelope and the charge is passed through the device.The electrons emitted at the electrode travel in vacuum to reach the opposite electrode, thus resulting in the emission of X-rays. Since their inception, the tubes have found various applications in several industries, although the medical industry has been the primary consumer of these devices.

Key Market Trends

Healthcare is expected to have Significant Growth in the Future.

  • In the healthcare segment, the X-rays are generated using the X-ray tubes, and in the pharmaceutical industry, these tubes are used with tungsten, especially when softer X-rays are required in mammography applications. The specialized X-ray sources used in research are known as synchrotron radiation, which is generated by the radiation process- particle accelerators in which high magnitude X-ray tubes are used.
  • With the technological advancements and the increasing adoption of technology in the healthcare industry, many advances were seen in medical radiation in the equipment and techniques. One of the more significant advancements for interventional X-ray over the past few years has been an increased focus on core and supporting technologies to provide high-quality, high-resolution images without a corresponding increase in radiation dose.
  • In the medical sector, dental applications that require smaller and shorter scans are found to be using stationary X-ray tubes for imaging. According to the Listerine Professional, oral conditions are the most commonly faced health issues affecting 3.9 billion people globally. Therefore, in the dental sector, the primary demand for X-ray imaging, which does not require rotating anode X-ray tubes is due to stationary tubes that are suitable for imaging purposes.



Aerospace Industry to Account for a Significant Demand

  • The aerospace industry is one of the major sources of demand for X-ray tubes in the United States. Increasing growth trend of helicopters and commercial aircraft production in the United States is an important factor driving the X-ray tube market in non-destructive testing applications. The US aerospace industry exports more than 60% of all aerospace production. Many foreign firms are attracted to the US aerospace market, as it is the largest in the world, employing a skilled and hospitable workforce, diverse offerings, and extensive distribution systems.
  • According to the United States Department of Commerce, the US aerospace industry has contributed about USD 118.5 billion to the US economy in the form of export sales. It is estimated that for the next two decades, the number of large commercial planes is anticipated to grow at a rate of 3.5% per year to reach 34,000 units, valued at USD 4.5 trillion. This demand from the aircraft industry is a major driver for the growth of non-destructive applications, which further translates into demand for X-ray tubes in the United States.
  • Owing to this scenario, coupled with the increasing demand from the country’s healthcare and energy sectors, the X-ray tube market in the country is expected to experience positive growth over the forecast period.



Competitive Landscape

The X-ray tubes market is highly competitive and consists of several major players. In terms of market share, few of the major players currently dominate the market. These major players with prominent shares in the market are focusing on expanding their customer base across foreign countries. These companies are leveraging on strategic collaborative initiatives to increase their market share and profitability. The companies operating in the market are also acquiring start-ups working on X-ray tubes to strengthen their product capabilities. In April 2017, Malvern completed its merger with PANalytical. Both were leaders in analytical instrumentation, i.e., Malvern Instruments in materials and PANalytical in X-ray instrumentation. The merger took place with an intent to leverage both the companies’ core competencies, in order to attain a leadership position.

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