Burgeoning demand from applications such as forensics, environmental protection, pollution, recycling, and research is expected to provide support for the world X-ray instrumentation markets. The need for tools, such as X-ray instruments, in these sophisticated environments is on the rise. X-ray instrumentation offers better price-to-performance ratio in areas of new technology development. In particular, portable instruments are seeing widespread uptake, and are poised to buoy the future prospects for the X-ray instrumentation market.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, World X-ray Instrumentation Markets, finds that the market earned revenues of over $659.5 million in 2008, and estimates this to reach $672.5 million in 2013. This study examines the following sectors: X-ray diffractometer (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED XRF) spectrometers, and wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WD XRF) spectrometers.

If you are interested in a virtual brochure for this study, please send an e-mail to Sarah Saatzer, Corporate Communications, at sarah.saatzer@frost.com , with your full name, company name, title, telephone number, company e-mail address, company website, city, state and country.

"Demand for high-end and benchtop X-ray instruments mainly arises from element analysis performed in laboratories, where the cost of test is high," says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Sujan Sami. "Growth for ED XRF products is expected to be comparatively better than the WD XRF products as they are comparatively more simple and cost effective."

In the WD XRF segment, the trend is toward hybrid products, especially with companies that already offer WD XRF products. This adds more value for price, considering the high price of WD XRF instruments. The prices of equipment are anticipated to remain stable in the near future.

Although the outlook for the market is bright, some issues cloud the market landscape. As is the case for many markets, the X-ray instrumentation markets were impacted by the economic downturn, which reduced available capital expenditure (CAPEX). While the industry witnessed significant growth in 2008, the economic impact limited market growth in 2009, and is likely to continue affecting the market in the short term. With reduced purchasing power, the high-end and benchtop product segments have felt the heat most.