Will thermal imaging cameras drop in price?

Will thermal imaging cameras drop in price?

Whenever a new type of technology comes out it always takes a few years for it to drop in price. Electronics dropping in price is determined by a number of factors including manufacturing and supply costs, market demand and market growth. Essentially, if there is a big enough market for something and there are two or more players competing, they will drive down the cost of products themselves. Will this happen to thermal imaging cameras?

FLIR has developed miniature thermal imaging cameras which will present Infiniti Red Bull Racing team with unique insights and analysis into their car’s components and operations. The new 1.6 litre V6 turbocharged engines with dual energy recovery systems has presented significant cooling challenges for all Formula One teams in 2014. Thermal imaging will give an insight into the challenge for cooling and managing the cars temperature accurately.

As a piece of kit, a thermal imaging camera is not really your ideal birthday gift for your teenage son, however they are greatly appreciated and utilized by businesses across the UK. The major players in the thermal imaging camera market are FLIR, Fluke, Extech and Testo. These manufacturers compete against each other for recognition across the thermography industry aiming to out maneuver each other with better products. This is what we like to call healthy competition, a contributing factor to innovation and lower prices.

Right now, a top of the range thermal imaging camera will set you back upwards of £20,000. That's a lot of money for any keen enthusiast, but a mere figure on the balance sheet for many companies looking to create a more efficient premises. With these high prices it is understandable that over 95% of the thermal imaging camera market is businesses, or technicians on behalf of companies.

So will these highly priced pieces of equipment come down in price any time soon? Well, yes and no. Much like all technologies, thermal imaging is constantly advancing with key manufacturers always bringing out new features to create imaging that much easier. It is these features we pay for at the end of the day, keeping costs high. Over time, though, these technologies become obsolete and are often pushed in to lower priced cameras of a lower feature set. In 5 years time, it is likely that a top of the range thermal imaging camera now will be considered a budget camera then.