Thermal imaging cameras are a highly effective tool for reading infrared radiation emitted from various sources. Unfortunately, knowledge of the usefulness of these cameras is still limited to industrial and commercial facility managers who use them but not for long.
Recent years have seen the thermal imaging market grow immensely with no end in sight. So, the question is, what is the future of thermal imaging cameras in 2023?
Additional Thermal Camera Applications
Thermal cameras have been used in a broad range of areas. These include building surveys such as insulation, thermal bridges and electrics. You can also find thermal cameras used on a larger scale for preventative maintenance of industrial machinery or high-voltage electrical systems.
There are as many applications as there are cameras, and as new models are created, new uses for them are found too. For example, acoustic imaging cameras have been used for industrial maintenance. These tools can identify compressed air leaks and electrical waste and locate issues with specific machinery.
Another example is related to oil and gas companies. Like many industries, oil and gas face a broad range of maintenance issues that must be addressed. As a result, this sector is showing a growing interest in thermal imaging cameras as practical tools for accurate and efficient surveys that will ensure a non-interrupted workflow.
Thermal Camera Car Technology
Safe advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles rely on a range of sensors to acquire all the data they need to create a safe driving experience, technically known as scene data. Data collection will inform the programmed detection and classification algorithms vital for any autonomous vehicle.
This array of sensors will be a combination of various sensors and cameras, but each is related to a specific SAE (society of automotive engineers) rating. For example, visible cameras, sonar and radar are SAE level 2 and can already be found in many vehicles. SAE ratings 3 and 4 are evolving next year with the addition of LIDAR (light detection and ranging) and LWIR (longwave infrared or thermal readers).
The current issue with existing sensor suites is their unreliability depending on the environmental condition, such as weather and the time of day. Thermal cameras can detect any vehicles or pedestrians regardless of foggy conditions, snow, or any time of day.
The thermal camera industry is expected to be working very closely with the automotive industry in 2023 as they continue to improve the safety of their ADAS.
Quantitative Depth Thermography
Not only are new camera models being created, but new methods of using them. Along with the expected software updates and new procedures, one significant addition is expected to improve existing thermographic surveys impressively.
What began as a scientific experiment in 2020 has since been developed into a working practice that is being used for more effective thermal inspections within industrial complexes or manufacturing. As previously discussed, one of the typical applications for thermal cameras is inspecting metallic or non-metallic materials. This is particularly useful for discovering defects within materials or wear damage (through friction) to machinery, as the user can easily analyse the material's condition from afar.
Most thermography is based on one dimension (1D) heat transfer model. The thermal cameras will analyse the heat emitting from the observed location seemingly on a 2D image, but the 1D relates to how the data is interpreted. 1D data is from one angle, at one location. The video function of thermal cameras allows this 1D data to update constantly and provide the vital information you need.
You should expect to find quantitative defect depth estimation as a feature on a high-end thermal imaging camera or its associated software. This is because an increasing number of modern devices allow mathematical (quantitative) estimation related to the parameters of the defect. It accomplishes this by upgrading 1D flat data for 3D volumetric data of the viewed heat transfer.
The 3D data will let the user evaluate the defect in more detail, such as its depth, lateral size and thermal resistance, which 1D cannot achieve. Depth thermography is predicted to be a vital part of thermal inspections in the future as it provides far more detail on the nature of the material or machine, resulting in more effective repairs.
A Growing Market
The international thermal camera market is a growing field that is showing no signs of slowing. In 2022 the global market size reached a staggering £1.77 million ($2.16 million) thanks to key industry leaders such as Teledyne FLIR, Axis Communications AB and Infratech GmbH. These figures are predicted to increase to £2.02 million ($2.46 million) during 2023, but that will not be the end.
The CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of the market as a whole is estimated to have a constantly growing pattern of growth of 13.86% for the next ten years, with £6.48 million ($7.91 million) expected by 2032.
Thermascan supplies the broadest range of high-end thermal imaging cameras from one of the leading companies, Teledyne FLIR.
Thanks to their continued development of new cameras, the European market is the second most prominent part of the international market. Many new applications are created yearly across all industries and sectors due to the practical results thermal and acoustic cameras produce.
Browse our range of thermal imaging cameras for hire online or contact us directly to ask which camera suits your needs best.