Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) System Market Analysis

Automated Optical Inspection System Market Analysis

Imaging solutions in the AOI system market are predicted to witness 15% growth rate through 2024 led by the essential functions performed by the cameras and sensors in the fault detection operations. The main imaging products include cameras, such as HD and machine vision, that provide better fault checking than human eyes. The key development in imaging segment is the incorporation of two to three high-resolution and high frame rate cameras into the 3D inspection systems. These imaging systems offer the detection of a larger board area and all boar parameters including height, width, and length. The suppliers in the market have developed efficient cameras and imaging systems, specifically for PCB visualization and fault detection.

The lighting products will reach USD 250 million by 2024 on account of the heavy light and brightness requirements for detecting errors on PCB systems. These products improvise the illumination of the PCB area, aiding the imaging systems to identify faults and printing issues more efficiently. The development in light sources includes implementation of LED lighting products that include color variations such as white, red, blue, and others. These sources are developed according to the PCB requirements such as low to high illumination for various applications. The lighting products enable the AOI systems to offer lighting provisioning from different angles as required by the PCB size and dimensions. These components contribute to the enhanced image quality and inspection results in an AOI system.

The 3D inline systems accounted for 35% of the AOI system market share in 2017 and are increasingly being deployed by the PCB manufacturers owing to the demand for highly accurate components in automotive applications. The incorporation of laser measurement technique into the 3D inspection devices accounts for their high demand as it offers better detection of co-planarity faults, which are mostly missed by the conventional 2D models. Additionally, 3D systems provide highly accurate 3D images of the PCBs, which are mainly the exact shape and volume imaging of the original device. The 3D systems offer highly defined imaging results that eliminate the involvement of human checking for detecting faults and facilitating PCB assembly.

The 2D systems have dominated the market in recent years attributed to the lower prices and affordability, mainly for electronic manufacturers. These systems are deployed with ultra-resolution imaging systems, telecentric lenses, and lensing technology that illuminate the PCB areas to be inspected. The 2D systems are appropriate solutions for the inspection of two-dimensional circuit boards and they facilitate manufacturers with low capital funding in PCB manufacturing. The deployment of these systems aids companies to save the manufacturing costs as it eliminates human involvement in PCB detection and assembly.

Wave soldering applications captured 30% of the automated optical inspection system market share in 2017 impelled by the implementation in cases of large production volumes. The manufacturers have developed specialized pre and post-wave soldering AOI systems for the operations that are performed by liquid dissolution methods.

Selective soldering applications are gaining a substantial popularity credited to the benefits including low operational costs over the traditional wave soldering alternatives. These techniques are used to inspect the soldering parts on partly and dully assembled PCBs. These selective soldering machines provide soldering process optimization, reliable solder joint detection, and avoid component overheating.

The penetration of the market into the aerospace & defense industry is rapidly growing attributed to the high machinery and device quality requirements used in aerospace engineering. The material faults and weakness lead to destructive results for the manufacturers and customers as they may cause system failures. To avoid these consequences, aircraft manufacturers need to deploy efficiently inspected components and PCBs. The AOI systems are used in aircraft manufacturing for reliable component testing and supporting the non-destructive development process.

The automotive end-use segment is slated to dominate owing to the increasing PCB requirements in automobile systems such as lighting, driving assistance, and infotainment. The automotive PCB manufacturers mainly deploy advanced 3D inspection systems due to the accuracy requirements in vehicular safety systems. Several AOI manufacturers have developed automotive application specific AOI systems that facilitate the exact needs in automobiles.

The Asia Pacific automated optical inspection system market is anticipated to observe rapid growth attributed to the penetration of several electronic component and device manufacturing companies in China, South Korea, and Japan. The increasing awareness to develop technically advanced and reliable products to support the export business initiatives in these countries is developing the market value. The presence of a large number of automobile producers in China is also responsible for the increased consumption of these machines.

The U.S. market covers a significant revenue share credited to the early technical advancements across all manufacturing sectors in the company. Moreover, the presence of various safety and compulsory inspection standards for machinery production in the country accounts for the industry expansion. The consumption of automotive and electronic products is more in the U.S. as compared to other regions due to high disposable income of the consumers. These factors are further responsible for the increasing demand for the market.