PEEK Gains Popularity Amid Lightweight Trends in Humanoid Robots, Several Listed Companies Reveal New Developments; Plastics Narrowly Adjusted Today

Driven by the trend of "lightweight" humanoid robots, indices for materials such as PEEK (polyether ether ketone) carbon fiber and titanium alloy have performed actively in recent days, with multiple concept stocks surging.

As of yesterday's (August 6) close,The PEEK material concept index rose by 5.79%, reaching a record high.In individual stocks, Xinhan New Materials hit the daily limit-up for two consecutive sessions, with Zhongyan Shares, Huitong Shares, and Kingfa Sci & Tech also rising.

The market generally believes that under the strong demand for humanoid robots and new energy vehicles, the PEEK material market is expected to experience rapid growth due to its advantages in lightweight and physical performance.

Listed companies actively deploy the PEEK industry chain.

Reporters from the "Sci-Tech Innovation Board Daily" have noted that as the application of PEEK materials in downstream terminal equipment is further confirmed, some A-share listed companies have also disclosed their business layout in the PEEK materials field.

A representative from the Board Secretary Office of Zhongyan Co., Ltd. told a reporter from The STAR Market Daily that the concept of humanoid robots has been very popular in the past two days, and the PEEK materials sector has indeed performed well. This may have a positive impact on the company’s stock price, but fluctuations in stock price are normal and are also affected by multiple factors.

Regarding the application and deployment of the company’s PEEK materials in robot-related components.An insider from the Secretary Office of Zhongyan Co., Ltd. stated that PEEK material can indeed be applied to the gears of various joints in humanoid robots."The company currently has no direct cooperation with enterprises in the humanoid robot field, but may contact them in the future. At present, the company's main business still focuses on application markets such as medical and automotive."

To meet the demand for lightweight robots with "plastic replacing metal," Huitong Co., Ltd. had already introduced a variety of material solutions, including PEEK materials and carbon fiber reinforced specialty engineering materials, as early as 2024.

"The TPE soft rubber material solution developed by the company for use in robotic hand components is already being promoted in the market," a representative from the Board Secretary Office of Huitong Co., Ltd. said yesterday (August 6).

As another leading company in the modified plastics industry,Jinfa Technology has recently been expanding into emerging fields such as humanoid robots and quadruped robots. The company’s self-developed ultra heat-resistant and wear-resistant PPA (high-temperature nylon) and PEEK materials have already been applied in key components of humanoid robots and robot dogs.

In terms of the humanoid robot sector, yesterday (August 6), a representative from the Board Secretary Office of Kingfa Sci & Tech Co., Ltd. told a reporter from the "Sci-Tech Innovation Board Daily" that the company is an indirect shareholder of Unitree Robotics, holding less than 1% of its equity. As a key product in Kingfa Sci & Tech's new materials business segment, specialty engineering plastics can currently be applied in the field of humanoid robots. Materials such as carbon fiber and PEEK are currently in the early product validation stage and are expected to gradually achieve mass production in the future.

A representative from the office of the board secretary of Kingfa Sci & Tech further explained that the company has set up a specialized research and development team for humanoid robot materials and is collaborating with robot manufacturers such as Unitree Robotics, DeepRobotics, and Flexiv to develop materials. Some customers have already achieved mass supply. "It should be noted that in the short term, this business contributes limitedly to the company's performance, but in the long run, the humanoid robot field is expected to become an important emerging growth point for the company."

"Wote Corporation's PEEK synthetic resin production line has been in trial production since the end of last year. After obtaining the official production license in May this year, it has officially started production."On August 6th, a representative from the Secretary Office of Water Co., Ltd. told the Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily reporter that the company's controlling subsidiary, Zhejiang Kesai, has acquired the capability to produce and process PEEK profiles, which can be supplied to customers in fields such as robotics and semiconductors.

Regarding the current application of the company's PEEK products in the humanoid robot field, a representative from the Board Secretary's Office of Water Co., Ltd. stated that the company is cooperating with end customers on preliminary product verification work. However, in the short term, it is expected that by 2025, the shipment volume of products in the humanoid robot field will be relatively limited, though it may become a source of incremental business for the company in the future. "For Water Co., Ltd., after the PEEK production line is put into operation, the company's performance release will not be completely dependent on humanoid robots, at least in the short term."

The "Cold and Hot" Behind the Rise of PEEK Materials

A recent research report by China International Capital Corporation (CICC) states that the trend of lightweight humanoid robots is on the rise. Represented by companies like Tesla and Boston Dynamics, more and more humanoid robot manufacturers are emphasizing lightweight design in their product iterations. Lightweighting can bring numerous benefits to robots: enhancing endurance, reducing motion inertia, optimizing performance, and improving safety. Similar to automotive lightweighting, robot lightweighting mainly involves three categories: material optimization, structural optimization, and process optimization.

It is reported that material optimization mainly includes the application of aluminum alloys, magnesium alloys, and PEEK materials.

Among them,PEEK material is also widely used in aerospace, medical, electronics, and other industries. In the future, it is expected to become an important material for reducing the weight of humanoid robots, driving a market space worth hundreds of billions.

According to relevant forecasts by Sullivan Consulting, assuming that the main end-use products of PEEK materials in China remain unchanged, the domestic market demand for PEEK materials will increase from 2,334 tons in 2022 to 5,079 tons in 2027, corresponding to a compound annual growth rate of approximately 16.8%.

Zheshang Securities stated that domestic PEEK material manufacturers have greater advantages in price, responsiveness, and expansion capacity. If humanoid robots accelerate production volume in the future, related domestic companies are expected to speed up localization replacement and achieve market share breakthroughs.

However, due to the complexity of the synthesis process, the cost of PEEK materials remains high; moreover, there is a significant gap between the current hype around concept stocks and actual application scenarios, resulting in considerable limitations to its real market penetration.

An industry insider specializing in the production of PEEK materials told the reporter from the Sci-Tech Innovation Board Daily that the price of PEEK materials varies significantly due to factors such as brand, specifications, applications, production processes, and market supply and demand. For example, PEEK filament for 3D printing is priced at approximately 1,200 to 1,800 yuan per kilogram. In contrast, ordinary 3D printing materials such as PLA and ABS generally cost around 50 to 100 yuan per kilogram.From this calculation, the price of PEEK filament is approximately 20 to 40 times that of ordinary consumables.

A representative from the board secretary office of Water Corporation provided an example, stating that generally, household service robots may not have very high material requirements. They might use carbon fiber composites such as PPA and PPS, which can better address the issue of material lightweighting from a cost-effectiveness perspective. Although PEEK has excellent performance, from the standpoint of customer demand, its cost-effectiveness is relatively low due to its high price. When general materials can meet the requirements, customers might consider whether to use PEEK materials comprehensively. At the current stage, there may be some discrepancies between the actual industrial logic and the expectations of the secondary market.

A securities firm insider stated yesterday (August 6) that although some listed companies on the market have already applied PEEK material-related products to certain components of humanoid robots, these are still only at the sample delivery stage, and the industry is still in the early stages of industrial development. Even when taking into account the growing demand from emerging fields such as humanoid robots, in the short term, production capacity may still far exceed the actual market's ability to absorb it. This easily leads people to associate it with capital speculating on future expectations, rather than real current market demand.

The aforementioned PEEK industry insider further stated that the high cost limits the large-scale adoption of PEEK materials. If the manufacturing difficulty can be greatly reduced, the cost will decrease and large-scale adoption can be achieved.

Personnel from a listed company involved with PEEK materials told the reporter of the Sci-Tech Innovation Board Daily that,Considering the high overall production cost of PEEK materials, the company had already implemented a round of product price reductions in 2024. Currently, the general selling prices of the company's products have been lowered compared to those in 2023.The price reduction varies for different models, with the range approximately between...100 yuan to several hundred yuan per kilogram.。”