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Why Plastic Molding Tech is Manufacturing's New Focus
2025-07-09
At present, Our country still has a structural shortage of chemical products. Coupled with the rapid growth in demand for high-end plastics in the automotive industry, the electronics and electrical fields, the construction pipe field, and the daily packaging field [1], global plastic consumption is expected to exceed 500 million tons in 2025, of which 60% depends on molding technology processing. For my country, the plastic industry still has the problems of high energy consumption and heavy pollution in traditional processes, which forces technological innovation; high-end materials rely on imports, and equipment intelligence is insufficient.
Technological breakthroughs: Four cutting-edge directions lead industry changes
1.Integration of intelligence and automation
Industry 4.0: The Germans proposed in the program of Industry 4.0 that the fourth industrial revolution is the result of the third industrial revolution plus Internet technology. “The introduction of the Internet of Things and Services into the manufacturing environment is ushering in a fourth industrial revolution”, and the introduction of the Internet of Things and Services into the manufacturing industry has triggered the fourth industrial revolution. This change not only improves production efficiency, but also optimizes and shapes the manufacturing process of the entire industry. German Kuka robots have achieved full process automation of Injection Molding, increasing efficiency by 30%.
2.Green and environmentally friendly technology
Biodegradable materials: In recent years, with the rapid development of biotechnology, a microbial cell factory for one-step biosynthesis of PLA has been successfully established through the combination of protein engineering and metabolic engineering strategies, and a more gentle, economical and green sustainable PLA production method has been developed. For example, PLA compression molding technology has matured, and the degradation cycle has been shortened to 6 months.
3. High-performance composite molding
Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP): The application ratio in automotive structural parts has reached 30%, and lightweighting has helped to increase the endurance of new energy vehicles by 15%. In addition, the demand for CFRP accounts for about 80% of the total demand in the composite material market. The top four fields of material consumption are aerospace (about 19.1%), wind turbine blades (about 17.4%), sports and leisure (about 16.3%), and pressure vessels (about 12.2%). Among them, the sales revenue in the aerospace field accounts for about 63.7%, which is the market with the highest added value.
Special engineering plastics: polyimide (PI), polyetheretherketone (PEEK),
polyarylethersulfone (PSF), liquid crystal polymer (LCP), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), and high-temperature resistant nylon (PPA). Among them, PEEK and PI resins have broken through the bottleneck of high temperature resistance in the aerospace field and replaced metal parts.
4. New technology
Micro-nano injection molding: mass production of 0.1mm micro parts is achieved in the medical field with an accuracy of ±0.001mm.
3D printing fusion: photosensitive polyimide directly molds complex structures for the manufacture of 5G communication devices.
Gas-assisted injection molding (GAIM) and water-assisted injection molding (WAIM): inject high-pressure gas or water into traditional injection molding to reduce material usage and optimize the structure.
Dynamic injection molding technology: by introducing a vibration force field, the plasticization time is shortened by more than 20% and energy consumption is reduced by 30%.
Supercritical fluid injection molding (SCF): supercritical CO₂ is used to reduce melt viscosity, achieve microporous foaming, and make the product lightweight and surface flawless.
Blade extrusion technology dominated by tensile rheology: tensile deformation replaces traditional screw shearing, shortens the processing process by 50%, and reduces energy consumption by 30%.
In addition, there are in-mold decoration injection molding (IMD) and rapid heat cycle molding (RHCM).
Application scenarios: The “plastic” revolution from automobiles to space
1.Lightweighting of automobiles
Lightweighting of automobiles can not only effectively reduce the energy consumption and emissions of the entire vehicle, but also improve vehicle performance indicators such as driving range, power, and handling
2.Electronics and communications
LCP materials are used in 5G base station antennas, reducing signal loss by 50%.
3.Medical and aerospace
PEEK has low cytotoxicity and can promote the expression of inflammatory factors. Its good biocompatibility will not cause toxicity or teratogenicity and inflammatory response. In addition, PEEK has good processing properties and can be processed using various commercial technologies. In short, PEEK spinal implants are injection molded, and their biocompatibility exceeds that of titanium alloys.
4.New energy and environmental protection
Wind turbine blades use long fiber reinforced plastics. Long fibers can give the base resin synergistic mechanical properties, such as high modulus, high strength, and high toughness, and extend the life to 25 years.
Future trends: Technology integration and sustainable development
1.Technology integration
Digital twin: Virtual simulation of mold design, shortening the development cycle by 50%.
Multi-material co-extrusion: single molding to achieve composite functions, such as flame retardant + conductive integrated parts.
2.Policy-driven
“dual carbon”; goals: The “dual carbon”strategy advocates a green, environmentally friendly, and low-carbon lifestyle. The government subsidizes the research and development of green molding technology, and a province has set up a 1 billion yuan industrial fund.
3.Challenges and opportunities
High-end molds rely on imports (the localization rate is less than 40%), and the independence of core equipment needs to be accelerated.