The ceramic injection molding market in Europe was valued at US$ 63.23 million in 2019 and is projected to reach US$ 115.30 million by 2027; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.9% from 2020 to 2027.
The automotive and electronics industry's greater utilization of the technology is the critical driver for the Europe ceramic injection molding market. Ceramic injection molding is highly exploited by sectors, such as automotive, electronics, and consumer goods. Ceramic injection molding technology can produce highly accurate, complex ceramic components and parts for electronics, mobile phones, and consumer goods industries. For the past few years, the production of portable computing devices, cellular phones, gaming systems, and other personal electronic devices has increased exponentially. Hence, rise in adoption of these products is driving the ceramic injection molding industry. Rapid industrialization and urbanization resulted in increased disposable income, particularly in developing countries. This has further led to rise in the adoption of mobile phones, electronic items, and vehicles. The tremendous growth of the automobile industry combined with huge production demand for this technology is creating a positive impact on the industry growth. The demand for molded miniature products is escalating in the automotive sector, owing to high strength and complexity in their structure. Complex and vital components in electronic systems, engines, and locking mechanisms are usually manufactured by injection molding processes. Technical ceramics function efficiently under extreme conditions, such as high temperatures, corrosive atmospheres, and abrasive conditions. Also, advanced ceramics integrate with excellent mechanical characteristics with a low specific weight. Owing to this property of advanced ceramics, they are considered as lightweight construction materials and find applications in moving aeronautics and automotive components and engine components.
Based on type, the ceramic injection molding market is categorized into alumina, zirconia, and others. The zirconia segment is expected to grow at the fastest rate during the forecast period of 2020 to 2027. Zirconium oxide, also known as zirconia, refers to a white crystalline oxide of zirconium. Mineral baddeleyite is the most naturally occurring form of zirconia that bears a monoclinic crystalline structure. Ceramic powder of zirconia is widely used in injection molding. Zirconia possesses greater thermal expansion capacity as compared to alumina. It is biocompatible and has high chemical inertness, high fracture resistance, and low thermal conductivity. Zirconia powder is employed in the production of dental implants through injection molding. The production of ceramic injection molding parts using yttrium oxide stabilized tetragonal zirconia appears to be feasible. Mullite zirconia is identified as a potential material for high-temperature structural industry verticals owing to its high thermal shock resistance, high-temperature strength, and low coefficient thermal expansion. The zirconia powder used in injection molding possesses the ability to fabricate the complex shapes made from the mullite zirconia composites. The zirconia powder is mainly used in the injection molding of optical fibers ferrules and wire bond nozzles. The zirconia toughened alumina ceramics serve as impressive materials for biomedical and engineering industry verticals due to their hardness, high strength, and abrasion resistance. For this reason, ceramic injection molding appears to be an attractive option for producing zirconia toughened alumina. Zirconia is mainly used in industry verticals where alumina strength is considered to be insufficient. The more excellent thermal stability and strength of zirconia than alumina drive this segment's growth in the ceramic injection molding market.
However, COVID-19 outbreak has affected economies and industries in various countries due to travel bans, lockdowns, and business shutdowns. In the Europe region, Russia has the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases, followed by France, Italy, the UK, and Germany. This is expected to impact the chemicals & materials industry in the region. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the supply chain is expected to get affected and negatively impact the Europe ceramic injection molding market.
The overall Europe ceramic injection molding market size has been derived using both primary and secondary sources. To begin the research process, exhaustive secondary research has been conducted using internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the market. The process also serves the purpose of obtaining overview and forecast for the Europe ceramic injection molding market with respect to all the segments pertaining to the region. Also, multiple primary interviews have been conducted with industry participants and commentators to validate the data, as well as to gain more analytical insights into the topic. The participants who typically take part in such a process include industry experts, such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers, and national sales managers, along with external consultants, such as valuation experts, research analysts, and key opinion leaders specializing in the Europe ceramic injection molding market. Key market players include ARBURG GmbH + Co KG, CoorsTek Inc., INDO-MIM, Morgan Advanced Materials, and OECHSLER AG.