As Manufacturing 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) accelerate automation and in-line metrology adoption, the metrology software market will see strong growth, according to a recently released report from the Frost & Sullivan Test & Measurement team.
Manufacturers' use of robotic arms and sensors, and focus on speed, precision, and actionable insights from burgeoning data, further highlight the expanding role of software. While solution providers and pure software vendors offer metrology software, the former remain the dominant sales channel with the latter mostly selling products to or collaborating with them.
“Analysis of the Global Metrology Software Market, Forecast to 2021,” the new research report, reportedly finds that the metrology software market for inspection, analysis, and reverse engineering services will be worth $526.6 million in 2021. The study explores market potential in automotive, aerospace, electronic manufacturing, and other industries, such as metal fabrication, heavy machinery, machine shops, and medical devices in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest-of-World (Africa, Latin America, Middle East, and Russia).
"Uptake of non-contact technology is increasing and, in turn, boosting demand for point cloud technology," said Ram Ravi, Test & Measurement Research Analyst. "Rising use of 3D scanning will encourage vendors across the software market to enhance their point cloud software expertise and offer best-in-class algorithms. To achieve this, integrations and partnerships with select pure software vendors will be crucial."
The report identifies several trends and developments that are driving the metrology market:
• Smart factories and newer applications in additive manufacturing and reverse engineering
• Continuous development of advanced nanotechnology, flexible electronics, smart materials, and green manufacturing
• Demand for 3D/optical scanners in the automotive and aerospace industries
• Strong installed base in North America and Europe
• Shift in manufacturing to emerging economies of APAC, such as India and China
• Integration of multi-sensor systems with existing coordinate measuring machines (CMM) to provide flexibility of operation and generate data insights
"Since factory automation will be driven by system integrators, metrology solution providers need to establish partnerships with system integrators to enhance growth," added Ravi. "Further, SaaS must be an option for the future, as customers and vendors prefer a pay-and-scale, per-use model."
Edited by
Maurice Nagle
