Market Demand for PEEK Material Continues to Rise as Companies Increase R&D to Reduce Costs

PEEK (polyether ether ketone) is hailed as a new material "standing at the top of the pyramid." In the trend toward lightweight development of humanoid robots, the properties of PEEK—such as wear resistance, heat resistance, corrosion resistance, shock absorption, high insulation, and low weight—make it a key material for joints and other components.

Lin Xianping, Executive Deputy Secretary-General of the China Urban Experts Think Tank Committee, stated in an interview with Securities Daily: "PEEK material, as a high-performance special engineering plastic, is used in fields such as aerospace and medical devices. However, its application scope is limited due to high production costs. With technological advancements and expanded production capacity, the cost of this material is expected to gradually decrease. The involvement of multiple Chinese companies in the PEEK material sector is conducive to promoting large-scale commercial use of the material in scenarios such as humanoid robots and low-altitude economy."

Broad application prospects

At present, the market demand for PEEK materials is continuously rising across multiple fields.

In the field of humanoid robots, PEEK material not only enables robots to be lighter in weight, but also effectively reduces friction and wear during joint movement, thereby extending the service life of joints and improving motion accuracy. In addition, PEEK exhibits outstanding chemical resistance and stability in special environments such as high temperature, high humidity, and chemical corrosion, which can greatly expand the application scenarios of humanoid robots.

In the low-altitude economy sector, with the commercialization of eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles) advancing, the industry's demand for PEEK materials is also continuously increasing. Samoyed Cloud Technology Group's Chief Economist, Zheng Lei, stated in an interview with Securities Daily: "Using PEEK materials can significantly reduce the weight of eVTOLs, thereby enhancing range and flight efficiency. Additionally, key components such as the engine parts and fasteners of eVTOLs need to withstand high temperatures and corrosive environments, and the characteristics of PEEK materials are well-suited for this."

A relevant person in charge of Jilin Zhongyan High Polymer Materials Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Zhongyan Co., Ltd.") stated at an investor relations event in May this year: "For a long time, the high price of PEEK materials has largely limited the expansion of downstream application scale, which is a common issue faced by the industry and our company. If production costs can be reduced, thereby driving a healthy decline in prices, it is believed that this will help accelerate the adoption of PEEK across various application fields and achieve a win-win situation throughout the industry chain."

Continuous Breakthrough for the Enterprise

Raw materials and manufacturing are two key segments of the PEEK material industry chain. Many A-share listed companies have made forward-looking deployments and achieved a series of new developments.

DFBP (fluoroketone) is the primary raw material for PEEK, accounting for about 50% of its cost. Jiangsu New Hancheng Advanced Materials Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "New Hancheng Materials") is one of the large-scale producers of DFBP in China. A company representative stated during an institutional survey: "Overseas DFBP capacity is mainly part of Victrex's self-supplied capacity, with the remaining capacity mainly concentrated in China. New Hancheng Materials' additional 2,500-ton DFBP capacity has been verified by overseas and domestic PEEK manufacturers and is being supplied in bulk."

Zhejiang Zhongxin Fluorine Materials Co., Ltd. began its strategic layout in lightweight materials many years ago. On August 5, a company representative stated on the investor interaction platform: "The company's full industry chain production line for PEEK raw material DFBP has been established. In addition, the company is continuously advancing the research and pilot testing of downstream materials related to DFBP. Currently, in the face of the rapidly developing lightweight materials market, the company is actively promoting the market expansion and certification of related materials."

The production and processing of PEEK materials involve relatively high technical barriers. Zhongyan Co., Ltd. stated that the company always maintains an open attitude towards cutting-edge developments in various industries and actively seizes development opportunities brought by technological innovation. It continuously increases R&D investment to optimize material performance, laying a technical foundation for expanding applications in emerging fields.

Shandong Kaisn New Materials Co., Ltd. has made a breakthrough in PEEK technology and achieved mass production. The company has developed unique production process technologies over long-term production and operations, continuously optimizing and improving the production process in line with production practices and customer needs. Currently, the company's PEEK production line is operating normally, with both output and yield rate steadily increasing.

"Through continuous research and development innovation, Chinese enterprises have broken through technical bottlenecks and gradually increased production capacity. This will effectively reduce the cost of PEEK, improve supply stability, and create conditions for the application of PEEK in more fields," Lin Xianping said.