Machine tool touch probes are devices that are used to set up the work piece alignment and for measuring the work piece dimensions precisely. Machine tool touch probes help reduce machine setup times, increase the usage time of the machine and improve the dimensional accuracy of the finished work pieces. Machine tool touch probes are significantly more reliable for the accurate measurement of work pieces than manual measurement techniques. The probes have sensors which can automatically manage the work piece set-up, origin, alignment and to inspect the part after cutting. The probes consist of a stylus with a ball on the top that is used to touch the part. When the ball touches the part, the probe travels a small amount before it gives a signal. The working principle is thus simple and effective. This reduces scrap and reworking and also increases the life of the machine. As human errors are being reduced by the increased adoption of automation in manufacturing industry, machine tool touch probes are facing increasing demand. The use of a machine tool touch probe can result in enhanced productivity and increased safety of workers too.

Market scope and structure analysis:

COVID-19 scenario analysis:

• COVID-19 pandemic has shut-down the production of various products in the global machine tool touch probe industry, mainly owing to the prolonged lockdown in major global countries. This has hampered the growth of global machine tool touch probe market significantly from last few months, as is likely to continue during 2020.
• COVID-19 has already affected the sales of equipment and machinery in the first quarter of 2020 and is likely to cause a negative impact on the market growth throughout the year. 
• The major demand for equipment and machinery was previously noticed from giant manufacturing countries including the U.S., Germany, Italy, the UK, and China, which is badly affected by the spread of coronavirus, thereby halting the demand for equipment and machinery.
• Further, potential impact of the lockdown is currently vague and financial recovery of companies is totally based on its cash reserves. Equipment and machinery companies can afford a full lockdown only for a few months, after which the players would have to modify their investment plans.
• Equipment and machinery manufacturers must focus on protecting their workforce, operations, and supply chains to respond toward immediate crises and find new ways of working after COVID-19 infection cases start to decrease.

Top impacting factors: Market Scenario Analysis, Trends, Drivers and Impact Analysis

Continuous product innovation and advantages of touch probes such as robustness, size, reliability, and accuracy, and its capacity to quantify the complex 3D part geometries are also fueling the growth of this market. Manufacturers are continuously seeking ways to increase workplace safety, reduce the operational downtime and reduce overall cost. The restraining factors are the high cost of installation and replacements as penetration into small scale workshops, suppliers and ancillary industry manufacturers is not as fast as large in the case of large manufacturers. The 3D Touch Probe and Optical Touch Probe provide new market expansion opportunities to the global machine tool touch probe market. Touch probes with optical transmission aid in the operations of the machining center more efficiently, thereby reducing cycle times and the percentage of rejects. The optical transmission touch probe also aids in managing multiple touch probes with the use of single receiver, thus simplifying the machining design system.

The global machine tool touch probes market trends are as follows:

Surge in popularity of Automation in manufacturing industry for better quality control and increased productivity:

Automation is increasingly being adopted to improve efficiency, cost, productivity and reduce the labor employed. Also lack of technical skill of the engineer or worker can be ignored to a large extent as automation gives the opportunity to use automated precision tools to complete difficult tasks easily. With emergence of digitization and automation, various industries such as construction, automotive, and manufacturing are using advanced technologies to maintain quality control. This is increasing the adoption of machine tool touch probe in the end use sectors. Furthermore, continuous innovation of design, and the inherent advantages of touch probes such as robustness, size, reliability, and accuracy, and its capacity to quantify the complex 3D part geometries are also fueling the growth of this market. Probing is an established best practice for maximizing the efficiency, productivity, accuracy and quality of finished goods as well as maintaining safety and life of machine tools. Standard routines built into modern CNC controls simplify the integration of probing cycles into machining operations and offline tools. These routines, often combined with a CAD interface, make the simulation of measurement functions easy.

Surge in large adoption of machine tool touch probes in automotive industry 

With the emergence of digitization and automation, various industries such as construction, automotive, and manufacturing are using advanced technologies to verify the quality of the equipment and machinery used. The growing demand in the automotive industry for complex components and high-performance engines has fueled the demand for automated CNC machining. The application of touch probes for manufacturing automotive components in the automated CNC machining is expected to drive the demand for the 3D touch probes market. The market in the automotive industry is expected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The growth of electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles is expected to fuel the demand for new automotive components and improved engine designs. The manufacturing of an automobile involves a large variety of automotive parts to be manufactured. Thus, the growing automotive production across the world is driving the growth of the machine tool touch probe market.

Key segments covered:

Key benefits of the report:

• This study presents the analytical depiction of the global machine tool touch probes industry along with the current trends and future estimations to determine the imminent investment pockets.
• The report presents information related to key drivers, restraints, and opportunities along with detailed analysis of the global machine tool touch probes market share.
• The current market is quantitatively analyzed from 2019 to 2027 to highlight the global machine tool touch probes market growth scenario.
• Porter’s five forces analysis illustrates the potency of buyers & suppliers in the market. 
• The report provides a detailed global machine tool touch probes market analysis based on competitive intensity and how the competition will take shape in coming years.