SHAOXING KEQIAO FANEVER IMPORT AND EXPORT CO., LTD , https://www.sxfanever.com
The production of plastic raw materials and plastic products is closely tied to the use of plastic machinery. With the rapid expansion of China's plastics industry, plastic machinery has emerged as one of the fastest-growing sectors within the broader machinery industry. In recent years, the sector has maintained an annual growth rate of approximately 30%, with manufacturing capacity reaching around 200,000 sets per year—placing China at the top globally. Despite this impressive scale, the output value of Chinese plastic machinery only accounts for about 9% of the world’s total, while its output represents 25% of the global total. This discrepancy highlights a significant market gap, with an estimated demand of 10 billion yuan remaining unmet each year. Moreover, 60% of high-end plastic machinery is still imported, indicating a reliance on foreign technology in critical areas.
In major petrochemical projects, large-scale ethylene plants rely on plastic granulation units, while precision injection molding machines are essential in electronics and communication engineering. Similarly, the automotive and packaging industries require large injection molding and multi-layer hollow molding machines. However, in the medical and health sectors, key equipment such as biaxial stretching film machines, multi-layer blow molding systems, and precision extruders are largely dependent on imports. This dependency underscores the technological gap that exists between domestic manufacturers and international leaders.
Most of the domestic plastic machinery produced today remains focused on low-end products, which are insufficient for manufacturing high-quality, advanced plastic goods. This limitation is largely due to the lack of independent intellectual property and core technologies—often referred to as "Chinese core." As a common saying goes in the industry, without the import of key components and advanced technologies, much of the domestic machinery would simply be a pile of metal.
"Good workers need good tools," and the current state of Chinese plastic machinery reflects a lack of technological depth. The quality of domestic products is often low, and the absence of core technology hinders the upgrading of the entire plastics industry. Experts note that many domestic companies focus on basic daily-use plastics and simple industrial items, lacking the ability to use high-tech presses to enhance product quality. Many remain satisfied with general-purpose equipment, leading to little demand for advanced solutions. Consequently, press manufacturers find it difficult to gain market recognition for their innovations, which in turn stifles R&D efforts.
In essence, the core of plastic press technology lies in providing the most suitable process conditions and technological routes for plastic products. Innovation in plastic presses is closely linked to material formulations and processing conditions. However, due to historical reasons, there is a serious disconnect between industrial management, machinery manufacturing, and product development. Machinery companies tend to prioritize mechanical and electrical talent and improve processing capabilities, while neglecting research into plastics processing technology. Without a deep understanding of different raw materials and their processing requirements, true technological innovation in plastics machinery becomes impossible.
To advance the core technologies of domestic plastic machinery and elevate its overall technical level, joint efforts from all stakeholders are essential. Manufacturers of plastics raw materials and products must move beyond producing low-end goods and focus on improving quality, both for community needs and corporate competitiveness. Plastic press companies should integrate more closely with the plastics industry, invest more in R&D, and develop advanced equipment such as large-scale injection molding machines, composite systems, and multi-layer hollow molding machines. At the same time, they should incorporate microelectronics into their designs, gradually achieving computerized control of injection molding, extrusion, blowing, calendering, and other fundamental processes. These high-end technologies and control systems depend entirely on breakthroughs in core technologies and represent the only path forward for China's plastic machinery industry.