The application demand for polyimide film (PI film) continues to grow, and the localization rate is expected to increase

Polyimide film (PI film) is a high-temperature resistant organic polymer film, which is made of polyimide as the main body through casting, stretching and other processes. Polyimide films have many uses and can be widely used in LED displays, touch screens, electrical insulation systems, aerospace, electronic substrates and other fields.

According to the “2022 Polyimide Film Industry In-depth Market Research and Investment Analysis Report released by the Industrial Research Center, with the The application fields continue to expand, and the market demand for polyimide films begins to develop towards diversification and high-end trends. Flexible circuit (FPC) boards are usually made of polyimide film as the base material and are widely used in electronic products such as mobile phones, laptops, and digital cameras. In 2021, my country’s flexible circuit output reached 97.132 million square meters, a year-on-year increase of 6.7 %. As market demand becomes increasingly strong, polyimide films will have a broad market space.

The performance of polyimide film is determined by polyimide. As one of the organic polymer materials, polyimide has extremely high chemical stability and is known as a “problem-solving expert”. At present, polyimide is mainly used in high-tech industries, and the industry is developing well. The main producing areas of polyimide are my country, Russia, the United States, Japan, South Korea, etc. The world’s leading polyimide companies are mostly concentrated in the United States and Japan, accounting for nearly 60.0% of the global market. Although my country’s polyimide industry is developing rapidly, there is still a gap compared with overseas companies, which will hinder downstream polyimide film production.

In the global market, leading polyimide film companies include DuPont, Tanabuchi Chemicals, Ube Kosan, Mitsui Chemicals, etc. DuPont Kapton, developed by DuPont in the United States, is one of the high-performance film products and ranks first in the global sales list. It is widely used in industry, aerospace, automobile manufacturing and other fields. According to DuPont’s annual report, the company’s operating income in 2021 will reach US$16.70 billion, a year-on-year increase of 16.0%.

In the local market, due to limitations of technology and other factors, the market penetration rate of domestic polyimide films is low, and overseas brands dominate the high-end market. In the fierce market competition in recent years, my country’s local polyimide film manufacturers have gradually begun to develop high-end products. Leading companies such as Damai Technology, Ruihuatai, and Guilin Electric Power Research Institute have continued to carry out technological innovation. In the future, my country’s polyimide The self-sufficiency of thin films is expected to continue to improve.

Industry analysts said that polyimide films are mainly used in fields such as electronic substrates and electrical insulation systems, and in downstream semiconductors, etc. Driven by industrial development, my country’s polyimide film market demand has grown steadily. In terms of market competition, due to technical and other factors, overseas brands dominate my country’s polyimide film market. As technology continues to innovate, the number of companies entering the market begins to increase, and the market penetration rate of domestic polyimide films will increase.