Why Modified Materials Have Become The Hot Commodity In Robotics And Low-Altitude Economy Sectors

The explosive growth in the modified materials sector has become one of the most eye-catching phenomena in the capital market. Since the beginning of this year, leading companies such as Kingfa Sci. & Tech., Preter, and Dawnrays have recorded significant stock price increases of 60.62%, 38.33%, and 104.44%, respectively. Nanjing Julong, with a year-to-date performance of 93.11%, has attracted intensive institutional research.

Behind this market trend lies the irreplaceable role of modified materials in cutting-edge fields such as lightweighting robot joints and strengthening drone structures. When humanoid robots demand a strict balance between material strength and weight, and when low-altitude aircraft need to withstand extreme temperature differences and vibration shocks, the performance breakthroughs achieved by modified plastics through technologies such as nano-filling and blending modification are becoming a critical link between materials science and high-end manufacturing. What technological revolution and industrial opportunities are hidden behind the market's investment of real money?

Recently, there is support for home appliances and automotive lightweighting.

The lightweight revolution in the home appliance and automotive industries has propelled modified plastics to the core stage of material upgrading.

In the home appliance sector, following the intensified expansion of the trade-in policy in 2025, market vitality has been significantly unleashed — retail sales of household appliances increased by 38.8% year-on-year in the first four months, with core categories such as air conditioners and refrigerators maintaining double-digit production growth. In this round of consumption recovery, modified plastics have deeply penetrated the industry chain thanks to their antibacterial, weather-resistant, and environmentally friendly properties: flame-retardant PC/ABS alloys are used for microwave oven inner linings to meet high-temperature safety requirements; enhanced PP materials are adopted for water purifier filter bottles to improve pressure resistance; dishwasher spray arms utilize glass fiber reinforced PA66 to achieve a balance between hydrolysis resistance and rigidity.

What deserves even more attention is the export dividend brought by the increased penetration of home appliances in emerging markets. In 2024, China's home appliance exports to regions such as ASEAN and Latin America are expected to grow by over 15%. Customized products, such as high-weather-resistant modified materials adapted to tropical climates and food-contact grade modified plastics that comply with Islamic standards, are becoming the technical keys to unlocking emerging markets.

The lightweight transformation of the automotive industry has opened up a broader battlefield for modified plastics. A 10% weight reduction in fuel vehicles can improve energy efficiency by 6%-8%, and for new energy vehicles, reducing weight by 100kg can increase the range by 2.5km. Driven by these dual factors, the "plastic instead of steel" technology route is accelerating its implementation. Bumpers use long glass fiber reinforced PP to replace metal, door modules use micro-foamed PC/ABS to reduce weight, and battery housings achieve a dual breakthrough in lightweight and impact resistance through carbon fiber reinforced PPS. Data shows that the amount of modified plastics used in a single battery module of new energy vehicles reaches 30kg, which is nearly 40% more than that of traditional fuel vehicles. The electrification process further spurs high-performance demands: battery brackets require modified PPE that can withstand high temperatures of 150°C, charging pile casings demand V0 flame-retardant PC/ABS, and the popularization of 800V high-voltage platforms promotes the application of special materials such as corona-resistant PA66.

The wave of intelligent technology further raises the technical threshold for modified plastics. Automatic driving radar radomes use low-dielectric modified PBT to ensure signal stability, millimeter-wave radar components rely on PI materials with excellent heat resistance, and HUD optical components are made from high-transparency modified PC.

These high value-added products are driving technological breakthroughs in domestic enterprises. Leading companies such as Kingfa Sci. & Tech. have seen their modified plastics output exceed 2.66 million tons in 2024, while Guoen Co. and Huitong Co. also maintain rapid growth. As household appliance consumption upgrades and the automotive "four modernizations" transformation create demand resonance, modified plastics are evolving from traditional functional materials into strategic foundational materials that support industrial transformation.

The application of robots and the low-altitude economy may not be far away.

When the application of modified materials in the home appliance and automotive fields has formed a trillion-level market, the rise of humanoid robots and the low-altitude economy is opening up a new growth pole for high-performance modified specialty materials.

In the field of humanoid robots, Tesla Optimus Gen2 has achieved a breakthrough by reducing weight by 10 kilograms and increasing walking speed by 30% through the use of PEEK materials, demonstrating the irreplaceability of specialty engineering plastics in balancing lightweight and performance. It is predicted that by 2035, the market size of humanoid robots in China will reach 300 billion yuan. Assuming an average weight of 50 kilograms per unit and a 30% proportion of modified materials, the demand for related materials will reach 300,000 tons once the production exceeds 20 million units. This is equivalent to one-tenth of the total global production of modified plastics in 2024.

The low-altitude economy sector is also experiencing explosive demand. In the drone field, PC/ABS alloys are used for the fuselage to achieve weight reduction, PPS materials manufacture electrical components to withstand high-altitude temperature variations, and POM gears ensure precise operation of the transmission system. In 2023, China's civil drone shipments exceeded 3.17 million units. Assuming a 20% annual growth rate, under the scenario of a 5-kilogram drone with 70% modified material usage by 2030, demand will surpass 35,000 tons.

More noteworthy is the eVTOL aircraft, which extensively utilizes high-temperature-resistant PPS in its internal electrical components, relies on corrosion-resistant PEEK for engine fasteners, and chooses high-light-transmittance PC materials for its transparent cabin. Porsche Consulting predicts that by 2035, the annual demand for manned eVTOLs in China will reach 41,300 units. Assuming each unit weighs 430 kilograms and consists of 80% polymer materials, the demand for materials will exceed 100,000 tons.

The stringent material requirements in these emerging fields are driving modification technologies toward functional integration. The joints of humanoid robots need to simultaneously achieve wear resistance under high-frequency motion and low dielectric properties for signal transmission, which has led to the development of PPA/LCP composites. Meanwhile, the thermal management systems of eVTOLs require PPS materials to possess both resistance to temperatures up to 300°C and high thermal conductivity.

When the added value of modified materials for traditional home appliances is 20,000 to 30,000 yuan per ton, the price of PEEK materials used in robot joints has exceeded 400,000 yuan per ton. This value leap is reshaping the competitive landscape of the industry. As domestic companies like Kingfa Sci & Tech achieve breakthroughs in the mass production technology of carbon fiber reinforced PEEK, a trillion-yuan new market supported by high-value-added specialty materials has moved from science fiction to reality.

Environmental issues or the main loop of competitive logic

In 2025, the resonance between environmental protection policies and industrial upgrading is pushing the modified materials industry into a deep phase of transformation. With the implementation of the mandatory recycled materials system under the "Ecological Environment Code (Draft)," a competitive revolution centered on "green substitution" has quietly begun.

The dual driving forces of policy pressure and market demand are reshaping the competitive landscape of the industry. The domestic "Technical Specification for the Use of Recycled Plastics in Household Appliances" raises the upper limit of recycled plastic content in the home appliance sector to 20%. In the automotive sector, the EU ELV regulations require that new cars contain 25% recycled plastic by 2030.

In this transformation, the ability to integrate technology has become crucial for the survival of enterprises. Kingfa Sci & Tech's recycled PC/ABS materials are used in consumer electronics casings, and 30,000 tons of the 120,000 tons of modified plastics produced annually at Pret's Tianjin base are recycled materials. This reflects the logic of high-end recycled materials replacing traditional products. In contrast, Dawn Polymer's decision to terminate its biodegradable materials project highlights the difficult choices faced by many peer companies amidst policy surges. With the trend of increasing market concentration, leading companies leverage their technological accumulation and scale advantages to gain an edge, while small and medium-sized enterprises may face the risk of elimination if they cannot overcome the performance bottlenecks of recycled materials.