China’s X-ray inspection equipment market: tens of billions of scale, the future can be expected
In the field of non-destructive testing, the five conventional testing methods are: radiographic testing, ultrasonic testing, magnetic particle testing, eddy current testing, penetration testing and some unconventional testing methods such as laser, electromagnetic wave, infrared, etc. X-ray testing is one of the most important a means of detection. Key equipment in aerospace, aviation, military and other industries need to use X-ray testing to assist other testing methods to form a comprehensive non-destructive testing solution. These conventional and unconventional internal nondestructive testing methods, among which X-ray has the best visibility, visible and measurable, and the highest precision, down to the nanometer level.
In addition to the medical field, the downstream of X-ray inspection equipment is mainly used in the fields of integrated circuit and electronic manufacturing inspection, battery inspection, industrial casting, weldment and pressure vessel inspection, foreign object inspection and public safety inspection. According to the data of Frost & Sullivan (hereinafter referred to as “Sullivan”), a well-known international research institution, the total market size of X-ray inspection equipment in China will be 11.90 billion yuan in 2021, compared with 8.34 billion yuan in 2017. Renminbi, its compound annual growth rate is 9.3%, and the growth is relatively stable. It is estimated that by 2026, the market size of China’s X-ray inspection equipment in its main application fields will be 24.14 billion. Compared with 2022, its annual compound growth rate will be 15.8%. Influenced by the rapid growth, X-ray inspection equipment is expected to maintain a high-speed growth trend in the next five years.
Data source: Sullivan
With excellent detection capabilities, X-ray detection equipment has a wide range of applications
According to the classification of different application fields of X-ray inspection equipment, it generally includes semiconductor and electronic manufacturing fields, lithium battery manufacturing fields, industrial product manufacturing fields, public safety fields and others (such as food industry, etc.).
Source: Sullivan
The field of integrated circuit and electronic manufacturing includes chip, integrated circuit manufacturing, PCB printing, PCBA packaging and testing, etc.; the field of lithium batteries (also called the field of new energy batteries) includes power battery testing, energy storage battery testing, and consumer battery testing; the field of industrial products ( Mainly welding parts, castings and materials), including auto parts, aviation die-casting parts, welding parts and pressure vessels, etc.; High-speed intersection vehicle inspection, prison vehicle inspection); X-ray inspection equipment is gradually applied in other fields, such as food safety field, material inspection field, etc.
Among them, the fields of integrated circuits and electronic manufacturing, lithium batteries, and industrial products have higher requirements for X-ray inspection equipment, so the value of the equipment is also higher. In 2021, the market size of the above three major areas will account for about 50% of the total market, and it is expected that by 2026, it will be close to 70%.
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In the field of integrated circuit and electronic manufacturing, X-ray inspection has high precision and strong demand
The field of integrated circuit and electronic manufacturing involves the manufacture/assembly of electronic parts, PCB printing, packaging, etc. With the development of portable and intelligent electronic products, the size of semiconductors is constantly shrinking, and the requirements for the packaging density of integrated circuits are gradually increasing, and the corresponding requirements for defect detection accuracy need to reach a higher level. At present, industrial X-ray inspection equipment or micro-focus X-ray inspection equipment can meet the multi-link inspection requirements of complex integrated circuits and electronic manufacturing processes.
According to the data disclosed by the Global Semiconductor Trade Statistics Organization, global semiconductor sales increased from US$335.2 billion in 2015 to US$555.9 billion in 2021; among them, sales in the Chinese market increased from US$98.6 billion in 2015 to US$192.5 billion in 2021, with an average annual compound The growth rate was 11.8%, and its global market share rose rapidly from 29.4% in 2015 to 34.6%, ranking first in the world.
According to Sullivan’s statistics and forecasts, from 2017 to 2021, the market size of China’s integrated circuit and electronics manufacturing will increase from 1.53 billion yuan to 2.34 billion yuan, with an average annual compound growth rate of 11.2%. In the future, with the semiconductor manufacturing industry gradually becoming a national key development industry and the continuous introduction of relevant government support policies, China’s integrated circuit and electronics manufacturing industries are expected to flourish. The demand is also expected to further expand. By 2026, the market size of integrated circuit and electronic manufacturing X-ray inspection equipment is expected to reach 6.12 billion yuan, and the average annual compound growth rate of market growth between 2022 and 2026 will reach 23.0%.
Data source: Sullivan
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The increase in new energy battery shipments has driven the growth of the X-ray inspection equipment market
X-ray testing equipment for the new energy battery industry is closely related to the development of the new energy battery industry. X-ray testing equipment for the new energy battery industry is mainly used in new energy battery fields such as new energy vehicle power battery testing, consumer battery testing, and energy storage battery testing.
With the increase in sales of electric vehicles, power battery shipments will continue to increase, and X-ray inspection has become an indispensable link in battery production. The power battery market will drive the application of X-ray inspection equipment in the power battery industry, especially It is conducive to the improvement of the penetration rate of online X-ray detection equipment.
According to Sullivan’s statistics and forecasts, in 2021, the market size of X-ray inspection equipment in the field of battery inspection will be 1.32 billion yuan, of which Chinese equipment will dominate. The explosive development of new energy vehicles and energy storage industries has become the most important driving factor for the rapid growth of X-ray testing equipment in the battery industry. With the rapid expansion of the production capacity of power battery and energy storage companies, the demand for X-ray inspection equipment in this field is growing rapidly, and the equipment technology is iterating rapidly. It is expected that the compound annual growth rate in the next five years (2022 to 2026) will exceed 28.9 %, it is estimated that by 2026, the market size of X-ray inspection equipment in the field of overall battery inspection will reach 5.80 billion yuan.
Data source: Sullivan
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The demand for X-ray inspection in the field of castings, weldments and materials is stable, and will maintain steady growth in the future
With the growing strength of China’s science and technology, leading enterprises in the fields of automobile, foundry, aerospace and aviation are gradually expanding their production scale and increasing their productivity to meet the rapidly increasing market demand.
In the field of casting, weldment and material inspection, X-ray image inspection technology, as the most intuitive, sensitive and convenient quantitative analysis image inspection method in this field, has irreplaceable advantages and has been widely used in various defect detection and diagnosis. Including: ①Metal castings (including various parts of automobiles, integrated die-casting frames, industrial machinery parts, rail transit wheels, etc.); ②Sensitive structural parts (such as aerospace, military parts, etc.); ③Pressure vessels ( Such as high-pressure boilers, gas cylinders, gas tanks, etc.); ④ Scenario detection such as pipe fitting welding.
At present, major suppliers in the field of castings, weldments and material testing are focusing on X-ray intelligent testing equipment. As a high-efficiency and high-precision testing equipment, X-ray testing is favored and affirmed by more and more fields such as automobile manufacturing and aerospace. The demand for X-ray testing equipment is also increasing with the overall scale of the automotive market, aerospace and other The enlargement increases gradually.
According to Sullivan’s statistics and forecasts, in 2021, the market size of X-ray inspection equipment in China’s industrial field (castings, weldments and materials) will be nearly 2.11 billion yuan. In the future, the X-ray inspection equipment market in related fields still has room for development. The scale will exceed 4.42 billion yuan, and the compound annual growth rate from 2022 to 2026 will be close to about 17.0%.
Data source: Sullivan
X-ray inspection equipment market competition: China’s market from foreign monopoly to domestic substitution
The X-ray inspection equipment industry chain includes upstream parts supply, midstream equipment system integration and manufacturing, and downstream applications in various fields. The X-ray inspection equipment industry involves many links. With the accumulation of technology and experience, Chinese companies are gradually replacing the application of overseas inspection equipment in some fields. The overall market is gradually shifting from foreign monopoly to domestic substitution.
The upstream components of X-ray inspection equipment mainly include X-ray sources, detectors, high-voltage power supplies, multi-axis linkage systems, etc. Competitors include Yxlon, Finetech, and X-WorX that provide open-tube micro-focus ray sources; provide closed-tube micro-focus ray Hamamatsu, ThermoFisher, UFJ for sources; COMET, Varian, VJ Technologies for high-power focus sources; Shanghai Chaoqun and Dandong Ronghua for common focus sources; Toshiba, THALES, Varian, Hamamatsu, Rayence, Yi for detectors Rui, Kangzhong; Gulmay, Spellman, COMET who provided high-voltage power supply for the open-tube micro-focus ray source.
The middle reaches of X-ray detection equipment are equipment design, detection algorithm, system integration and manufacturing, which involve the design and integration of imaging systems and scanning systems. Competitors are classified according to their downstream application fields, including electronic manufacturing and integrated circuit detection. Competitors such as Yxlon, GE, Shimadzu, OMRON, UFJ, SEC, Shansi; Competitors in the field of battery testing such as Zhengye, UFJ, Dacheng, Shuangyuan; Competitors in the field of castings, weldments and pressure vessels such as Yike Shilang, Zeiss, Baker Hughes, UFJ, Huari Science, Dandong Aolong; Competitors in the field of foreign object detection such as: Metley-Trido, Thermo Fisher, Anritsu, Taiyi, Meiya Optoelectronics, Doco, Gao Jing, UFJ; competing companies in the field of public security testing, such as Smiths, L3Harris, Rapiscan, Nuctech, No. 1 Public Security Institute, and Trina Times.
Source: Sullivan
From the perspective of China’s industrial chain enterprise map, due to the inconsistent demand for X-ray inspection equipment in different inspection fields, only a few enterprises can achieve multi-field layout, such as Yxlon, a leading foreign company in electronics manufacturing and integrated circuit inspection. , castings, weldments, and pressure vessel inspections are all used in the field of testing, China’s leading company Unicomp has product applications in electronics manufacturing and integrated circuit testing, battery testing, castings, welding pieces and pressure vessel testing, foreign body testing, safety testing and other fields . Downstream customers of X-ray inspection equipment are located in all walks of life. Leading companies in different fields choose to use X-ray inspection equipment with better comprehensive performance to ensure product quality and improve product yield.
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The X-ray inspection equipment market in the field of integrated circuits and electronic manufacturing is dominated by foreign competitors
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Market competition of X-ray inspection equipment in the field of integrated circuits
The integrated circuit industry has high requirements for the accuracy of X-ray inspection equipment, mainly nanometer and micrometer precision. Among the competitive enterprises in the integrated circuit X-ray inspection market, foreign manufacturers are the main players, and the market concentration is relatively high.
In the field of 2D detection, there are two types of detection equipment at the 100nm level and micron level detection equipment. Among them, the main players in the 2D detection micron level detection equipment include Shimadzu, Nordson, UFJ, SEC and other brands; the detection accuracy at the 100nm level The main players in testing equipment include GE, Yxlon, and Nordson, and their market shares are basically concentrated in these three companies; in the field of 3D testing equipment, GE and Yxlon have relatively high market shares, and Zeiss and Nikon also occupy a part of the market. is also entering the market. 
Source: Sullivan
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Market competition of X-ray inspection equipment in the field of electronics manufacturing
X-ray inspection equipment in the electronics manufacturing (including SMT, PCB, PCBA) inspection industry includes offline 2D inspection equipment, online 2D inspection equipment, and 3D inspection equipment. In the 3D inspection equipment market, Yxlon and Zeiss occupy a relatively high market share, and GE, Nikon and UFJ also occupy a part of the market. In the 2D online inspection equipment market, major players include TRI, UFJ, OMRON, and Matrix. In the 2D off-line testing equipment market, Chinese manufacturers are mainly Unicomp Technology and Sansi. Among the imported products of 2D off-line testing equipment, the main players are Yxlon, Nordson, Shimadzu, GE, and SEC.
Source: Sullivan
Due to the early start of foreign companies and the accumulation of profound technical experience, they have certain advantages in technology compared with Chinese companies. According to Sullivan’s statistics, at present, more than 75% of the market in the field of X-ray integrated circuits and electronic manufacturing testing equipment in China is occupied by overseas companies, especially in the field of X-ray high-end electronic manufacturing and integrated circuit testing equipment. Among Chinese companies, according to Sullivan’s statistics, UFJ is currently at the leading level among Chinese companies with a market share of about 6%. A few Chinese companies, including UFJ and Shansi, have entered this market. X-ray testing equipment for integrated circuits and electronics manufacturing has gradually shifted from foreign monopoly to domestic substitution.
Ø Chinese companies account for more than 90% of the X-ray testing equipment market in the field of new energy battery testing
Battery X-ray inspection equipment is affected by the concentration of downstream industries, and the competition pattern is relatively concentrated; and due to the strong demand for non-standard customization of equipment, the battery X-ray inspection equipment market has been dominated by Chinese companies in recent years, including Zhengye Technology, UFJ Technology, Dual Technology, Dacheng Precision, etc. The main foreign participating enterprises are Yingduomeili and so on.
Source: Sullivan
X-ray testing equipment companies in the battery industry mainly provide non-destructive testing equipment to battery manufacturers to improve battery safety. Industry customers include Ningde Times, BYD Battery, Zhongxinhang, Guoxuan Hi-Tech, EVE Lithium Energy, Honeycomb Energy, etc.
Due to the large number of winding layers of power lithium-ion battery products, the product quality requirements are strict, and the requirements for X-ray inspection equipment are also high. In addition, the demand for power battery production capacity is large, and the production line is fast, requiring testing equipment that can automatically feed, sort, and drop materials, etc., and has extremely high requirements for the automation system of online equipment.
Thanks to the rapid development of the upstream and downstream of China’s power battery and energy storage battery industry, as well as the strong demand for non-standard customization of X-ray testing equipment in this field, the degree of localization of X-ray testing equipment in China’s power battery and energy storage battery field Higher, Chinese companies occupy more than 90% of the market share. According to Sullivan’s statistics, Zhengye Technology has the largest market share in the industry, UFJ Technology is in a leading position in China’s new energy battery X-ray intelligent testing equipment market, and its business scale ranks second in the Chinese market.
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Castings, Weldings and Material Inspection X-ray Inspection Equipment Market Chinese Enterprises and Foreign Enterprises are equally divided
There are many market participants in the X-ray inspection equipment market in the field of castings, weldments and pressure vessels, among which foreign companies are in a dominant position in the market, such as Zeiss, Ikeshilang, Phoenix, etc., whose equipment technology is advanced and the value of a single equipment is high, so it is widely used Used in automotive, aerospace and other fields. Chinese companies, such as UFIT, Huari Science, and Dandong Aolong are relatively leading, and are the main competitors and challengers of foreign companies’ market positions. X-rays are widely used in the industrial field. In addition to being concentrated in aerospace, auto parts, pressure vessels and other industries as a whole, they are also widely used in rail transit, power facilities and other fields. Small businesses participate, but with smaller market shares. Leading companies in X-ray inspection equipment in the industrial field include Baoshilong, GE, Phoenix, Unicomp Technology, Huari Science, Dandong Aolong and other enterprises.
In 2021, the market size of X-ray inspection equipment in the field of castings, welding parts and pressure vessels in China will be 2.11 billion yuan. According to Sullivan’s statistics, foreign companies account for about 60% of the market share, and the overall market share of Chinese companies is relatively scattered.
Master the core components, the innovation capability of China’s X-ray inspection industry continues to improve
On the whole, the upstream core components of X-ray inspection equipment include X-ray sources and detectors. Among them, the micro-focus X-ray source represents the highest level of research and development in the industry. The main competitors include foreign Yxlon, Finetech, X-WorX, ThermoFisher, Hamamatsu, COMET, and Varian. At present, the Chinese company Unicomp Technology has made breakthroughs in the micro-focus X-ray source. . Competitors for detectors include overseas Wanruishi, Trixell, Canon, Vieworks, and Rayence, and Chinese companies include Kangzhong and Yirui Technology. By gradually mastering the core components of X-ray equipment, Chinese enterprises have promoted the continuous improvement of the innovation ability of China’s X-ray inspection equipment.
X-ray source, also known as X-ray tube or X-ray source, is a device that generates and emits X-rays. X-ray sources are divided into micro-focus ray sources, high-power ray sources, and ordinary ray sources according to their different performance characteristics. Among them, micro-focus ray sources have the highest technical barriers. The technology and market of China’s micro-focus ray sources are basically monopolized by foreign manufacturers, which is a typical “stuck neck” technology and supply.
Micro-focus ray source, involving atomic physics, vacuum physics, materials science, electromagnetics, electron optics, thermodynamics and other disciplines, is difficult to develop and has high technical barriers. Radiation sources below 1 micron. Due to its high detection accuracy, it is widely used in semiconductor packaging and testing, electronic manufacturing and battery testing. For example, in the field of integrated circuits, micro-focus ray sources can be used to detect integrated circuits and chip packages. The size of the detected substance is small, and the sensitivity of the equipment is required to be high.
As the core component of X-ray inspection equipment, X-ray sources are competing to invest in research and development in this field by global companies. At present, micro-focus X-ray source technology represents the highest R&D level in the industry.
As shown in the figure below, X-ray source competitors include Yxlon, Finetech, and X-WorX that provide open-tube micro-focus ray sources; Japan’s Hamamatsu, American ThermoFisher, and Wuxi UFJ that provide closed-tube focus ray sources; provide high-power focus sources COMET, Varex, and VJ Technologies; Shanghai Chaoqun and Dandong Ronghua, which provide common focus sources.
X-ray source companies include foreign companies Yxlon, Finetech, X-WorX, Hamamatsu, ThermoFisher, COMET, Varex, and VJ Technologies, and Chinese companies UFJ, Shanghai Chaoqun, and Dandong Ronghua. In the field of micro-focus X-ray sources, including foreign companies Yxlon, Finetech, X-WorX, Hamamatsu, ThermoFisher, and Chinese companies UFJ. Some of the X-ray source enterprises also involve in the R&D and sales of X-ray detection equipment, such as Yxlon and Unicomp Technology. On the whole, in the field of high-end micro-focus X-ray sources, foreign companies have a certain advantage, and only Chinese companies have made breakthroughs in this field.
Source: Sullivan
For micro-focus ray sources, the Chinese market has been monopolized by Hamamatsu of Japan and ThermoFisher of the United States, and their combined market share will be nearly 85% in 2021. Hamamatsu and ThermoFisher can provide a full range of micro-focus ray sources of 90kV, 110kV, 130kV, 150kV and above. In recent years, some Chinese manufacturers have also continued to invest in research and development in this field and have made some progress, but the overall market share is relatively small. As the wave of localization continues to advance, Chinese local manufacturers are expected to occupy a place in the microfocus ray source market in the future and realize domestic substitution.
According to relevant materials, the comparison between Unicomp Technology and competitors in the micro-focus ray source market is shown in the following table:
For a long time, the closed hot cathode micro-focus X-ray source technology and supply were mainly monopolized by Hamamatsu Photonics of Japan and Thermo Fisher of the United States. The closed micro-focus X-ray source mainly covers the product sequence of 90kV~180kV. At present, Unicomp Technology has developed 90kV and 130kV products that are urgently needed by the market, and have been applied in batches to integrated circuit packaging and testing, electronic manufacturing SMT/PCB/PCBA, new Energy batteries and other fields.
In the field of closed hot cathode micro-focus X-ray sources, Unicomp Technology is the only company in China that has achieved mass production. However, Unicomp Technology currently only realizes mass production of 90kV and 130kV products, and the product series is not as rich as overseas competitors. . At the same time, overseas competitors have decades of production experience in the field of closed hot cathode micro-focus X-ray sources, and they still have certain advantages in terms of technical reserves, market recognition and market share. Through the self-development of the core light source, X-ray detection equipment in different application fields is expected to use domestic light source products, which can enhance the overall strength of China’s advanced manufacturing industry.
The global X-ray market benchmark, Comet Yxlon leads the development direction of the industry
Comet Yxlon is the world’s leading manufacturer of industrial X-ray and CT system solutions. With a wide range of X-ray product types and CT system types, Comet Yxlon serves many industries, such as automotive, aerospace, electronics, electric vehicles or scientific research, dedicated to the highest product quality and maximum productivity.
At the 2022 Automation Control Exhibition, Yxlon, a manufacturer of X-ray and CT inspection systems, announced that it will change its name to Comet Yxlon after September 8, 2022. The new brand design highlights the long-term affiliation between Yxlon and Comet. Comet It is a world-leading technology company, focusing on plasma technology and X-ray technology for a long time. The CEO of Comet Group and the global president of Yxlon mentioned at the time that “Comet Yxlon represents decades of X-ray expertise and passion for innovation. This rebranding strengthens our brand influence and emphasizes that the entire Comet Group importance.”
Source: Yxlon official website
Headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, Yxlon is the global leader in X-ray non-destructive testing technology. It has long been committed to realizing product miniaturization, high quality and high reliability. Its Feinfocus brand is a pioneer in micro-focus X-ray testing technology. Feinfocus has developed a series of new technologies for high-precision micro-focus X-ray detection, including micro-focus X-ray tubes, nano-focus X-ray tubes, micro-focus X-ray systems, and micro-focus CT.
As a company specializing in the development and manufacturing of X-ray inspection equipment and its core components in the global market, Yxlon can be regarded as a global benchmark and will continue to lead the global development direction of the industry.
China’s X-ray market leader emerges, UFJ achieves a win-win situation in technology and capital
Unicomp Technology is a leading supplier of industrial X-ray intelligent detection equipment in China. It is mainly engaged in the research and development, production, sales and service of micro-focus and high-power X-ray intelligent detection equipment. Products and technologies are applied to integrated circuits and electronic manufacturing, new energy Testing fields such as batteries, castings, weldments and materials. UFJ Technology has three production, R&D and after-sales service bases in Wuxi, Shenzhen and Chongqing, and has built a sales network covering the whole country and overseas key regions. Nuo, Luxshare Precision, Tesla and other well-known customers in the industry have established stable cooperative relations.
UFJ broke the monopoly of foreign manufacturers on the closed hot cathode micro-focus X-ray source, realized the independent control of the core components of China’s X-ray precision inspection, and solved the problem of precision inspection in China’s integrated circuit and electronic manufacturing, new energy batteries and other fields. The “stuck neck” problem.
Source: UFJ Technology Prospectus
As a leading company in X-ray inspection equipment and core components, the company received an investment of nearly 50 million from Ningde Times in October 2021, with a post-investment valuation of 1 billion yuan. Through this investment, UFJ Technology has won the recognition of the industry and customers in both technology and capital markets, achieving a win-win situation for technology and capital.
It is reported that UFJ Technology has passed the Shanghai Stock Exchange Science and Technology Innovation Board Listing Committee meeting in November 2022. According to the announcement of the meeting of the Listing Committee of the Science and Technology Innovation Board, UFJ Technology has achieved “no on-site inquiries” and “no further implementation matters”, and is one of the few enterprises listed on the Science and Technology Innovation Board that “does not pass both”. The success of UFJ Technology means that in the near future, it will be listed on the Science and Technology Innovation Board, which will become another important milestone for the company.
Through technology accumulation and self-development of core components, as a leading company in the field of X-ray inspection equipment, Unicomp Technology will continue to lead domestic substitution, and will promote China’s advanced manufacturing technology to the world, becoming a globally respected brand!
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