The demand for ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene is huge and China is the world’s largest regional market

Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is a linear-structured thermoplastic engineering plastic with a viscosity average molecular weight of 150 It has unique properties, including impact resistance, wear resistance, chemical corrosion resistance, and self-lubrication. Therefore, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene has a wide range of applications, ranging from civilian mouse pads, battery separators, labor protection supplies, and under-track pads of subway viaducts. It is used in many fields such as industrial pipes and gears, medical joint pads, tissue stents, and military bulletproof equipment.

Industrial Research Center issued the 2022 Global and Chinese Super The “High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Industry In-Depth Research Report” shows that China’s demand for ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene will increase from 62,000 tons in 2022 to 111,000 tons in 2027, with a compound annual growth rate is 12.5%. At this stage, high-end ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene products are mostly used for military purposes and high-tech fields. Developed countries and a few international companies that master core technologies strictly keep their catalyst preparation technology secret. For a long time, domestic molding technology and equipment have been relatively backward. The product quality of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene lags far behind that of advanced countries. With the increase in R&D investment by domestic enterprises in recent years, production technology has continued to innovate. The domestic ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene industry has developed rapidly, and its catalyst preparation technology has also made great progress, thus promoting domestic high-end ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene products. The process of localization.

​ ​ ​Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber is its largest application field

​ ​Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene can be used in the fields of fibers, films, pipes, medical materials, sheets and special profiles. Among them, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene is the most widely used in the fiber field. Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber has excellent properties such as high strength, low density, high modulus, strong impact resistance and toughness, light resistance, and corrosion resistance. It can be widely used in military, aerospace and navigation engineering, high-performance lightweight composite materials, and high-end leisure products. In fields such as sporting goods, it is used in bulletproof armor and body armor, aircraft carriers, new fighter aircraft, cable covers, lightweight emergency pavements, cross-sea bridges, anti-cutting and thermally conductive textiles, etc. Among them, military industry is its largest application field, followed by civilian cables, marine industry and other fields.

​ ​ ​Extrusion molding is the main process for preparing ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber

The preparation process of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene is divided into compression molding, extrusion molding, injection molding and other moldings. Among them, extrusion molding is the main process for preparing ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers, and molding molding prepares ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene sheets, The main processing method of filter elements, while injection molding is still in the promotion stage. It has high requirements for resin and processing equipment, and can process complex parts of special shapes.

Major competitors in the global ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene market include Ticona of Germany, Montel of the United States, DSM of the Netherlands, Toyobo Corporation of Japan and Mitsui Chemicals, etc.; China’s local ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene companies include Ticona Engineering Plastics Company, Shandong Aidi Polymer Materials Co., Ltd., Ningbo Dacheng New Materials Co., Ltd., Shanghai Lianle Chemical Technology Co., Ltd., Hunan Zhongtai Special Equipment Co., Ltd., etc.