The development of modified plastics is based on the primary product form of resin as the main economic component, with additives or other resins that can improve the mechanical, rheological, flammability, electrical, thermal, optical, magnetic and other important aspects of the resin as auxiliary components. Through technical teaching methods such as data filling, toughening, strengthening, blending, and alloying, materials with a uniform appearance are obtained.
Market size of modified plastics
Modified plastics, as an important component of new chemical materials, have been listed as one of the key scientific and technological fields in China. From 2018 to 2020, the market economy scale of modified plastic products in China increased from 225 billion yuan to 293.5 billion yuan, with an annual composite industry growth rate of 14.21%. By 2022, the market scale of modified plastics may reach 415.2 billion yuan. Assisting in the development of modified plastics, Huayi Tianxia Chemical Raw Material Procurement and Sales Platform, providing sales of modified plastic products such as PC, PVC, ABS, etc.
Main Segments of Modified Plastics
1. Flame retardant resins
Flame retardant resin products can greatly reduce the risk of fire in situations such as short circuits, overloads, and water injection.
2. Reinforced and toughened resins
Reinforced and toughened resins can mainly be divided into products such as weather resistant and toughened PP special materials, glass fiber reinforced, and thermoplastic engineering plastics.
1) Weathering and toughening PP special material
Weathering and toughening PP special material is a new type of polypropylene material that has the characteristics of plastic products developed in China. It has advantages such as good low-temperature toughness, low shrinkage during molding, high rigidity, and strong weather resistance. It can mainly be used in outdoor living environments that require weather resistance and ultraviolet radiation. Its main consumer groups are home appliance enterprises and automotive parts enterprises.
2) Glass fiber reinforced and thermoplastic engineering plastics
The main products include glass fiber reinforced AS/ABS, glass fiber reinforced PP, glass fiber reinforced nylon, glass fiber reinforced PBT/PET, glass fiber reinforced PC, glass fiber reinforced PPE/PPS, etc. Its main consumer social groups include computer accessory companies, mechanical component production enterprises, electric tool and lighting enterprises, etc.
3. Plastic alloys
Plastic alloys are mainly divided into polycarbonate alloys, polyvinyl chloride alloys, and polyester alloys.
1) PC alloy
It has the characteristics of high impact strength, anti creep, heat resistance, low water absorption, non-toxic, and excellent dielectric properties. Mainly used for automotive dashboard, computer and office automation equipment, electric tool casings, mobile phones, etc.
2) PVC/ABS alloy
It is developed through production using PVC and ABS as the matrix, adding various modifiers such as toughening agents, lubricants, stabilizers, flame retardants, etc. It has excellent mechanical properties, weather resistance, processing rheological properties, good surface gloss, injection molding, and extrusion effects, making it a cost-effective alloy material. The main issues can be replaced by flame-retardant and weather resistant ABS, PC, etc., which can be applied in China's home appliance casings, electrical control switches, meter casings, lighting materials, communication information networks, building materials development, and other aspects.
3) Polyester alloy
Excellent mechanical properties (fatigue resistance), dimensional stability, chemical reagent resistance, and environmental stress cracking resistance. Mainly used in fields such as automobiles, home appliances, and electric tools.
Modified plastic production
The modified plastic industry in China requires years of rapid economic development, with both production and market enterprise scale showing an upward trend. From 2016 to 2020, China's production of modified plastics increased from 15.63 million tons to 22.5 million tons, with a compound annual growth rate of 9.54%. The China Commercial Industry Development Research Institute predicts that the production of modified plastic products can reach 28.84 million tons in 2022. Despite the rapid development of the domestic plastic industry, the scale of plastic application in China is still very small. The modification rate of engineering plastics in China (i.e. the proportion of modified plastic product production to the total plastic production) has steadily developed and increased. The global plastic modification rate is close to 50%. The modification rate of plastics in China has increased from 16.3% in 2011 to 21.7% in 2020. Compared to the global level, there is still a lot of room for improvement.
Future Industry Development Trends
1. High performance and low-cost
Due to the development of modification technology enterprises, some general plastics can continuously improve their original properties through modification technology. Indicators such as heat resistance and mechanical design strength have significantly improved, thereby improving the properties of engineering plastics that have a certain impact. The application management field has been greatly expanded. In terms of engineering plastics, due to the increasingly high performance requirements of raw materials in domestic industries such as automobiles, electronics, and electrical equipment, raw engineering plastics cannot fully meet the requirements of downstream markets. After modification, various physical performance indicators of engineering plastics are more excellent and their performance is stricter to meet market demands. High performance special engineering plastics, due to their ability to withstand high temperatures and the need for good performance and dimensional stability, can be applied in cutting-edge technology and education fields such as electronics, automobiles, and aerospace in China. However, the market environment capacity for cutting-edge product services is small. In order to further expand the application field of modified special engineering plastics, it is necessary to adopt a low-cost approach and explore the market at a lower cost.
2. Downstream application fields continue to expand
Modified plastic enterprises are currently widely used in China's automotive, communication, electronic appliances, new energy batteries, home appliances, medical, rail development and transportation, precision instruments, home building materials, security, aerospace universities, aviation, military and many other pillar industries and emerging technology industries. One of the most important downstream application service industries for modified plastics is home appliances and automobiles.
In addition, modified plastics are increasingly used in various fields of society due to their lightweight, corrosion resistance, flame retardancy, heat resistance, insulation, and other characteristics. In the field of health and safety protection technology, modified plastics can be applied in scenarios such as food packaging and medical protection in China; In the field of rail transit management, modified plastics can be applied to enterprise interior and exterior decorations, structural components, and a cushioning material; In the field of home building materials industry, modified plastics are also an important component of China's electric tools, security equipment, and other products; In fields such as aerospace and military industry, modified plastics also have a very wide range of applications.
3. Increased demand for import substitution
Most domestic modified plastic enterprises only began to emerge in the 1990s after the development of domestic home appliances and automotive industries. Although the development speed has been rapid in recent years, there is still a certain gap in the comprehensive competitiveness of international large chemical enterprises. Currently, the domestic high-end modified plastic market is still mainly imported, with a large demand for import substitution. With the continuous increase in research and development investment by domestic enterprises in China's industry in recent years, the technological gap with large international enterprises has gradually narrowed. Some small and medium-sized enterprises have gradually penetrated the high-end market economy by focusing on research, design, and development of functional and high-performance products.
On the other hand, in recent years, with the continuous strengthening of independent product research and development by upstream petrochemical enterprises in China, the overall innovation pace of the domestic modified plastic industry has also accelerated. With the continuous promotion of social and economic structural transformation and industrial upgrading in China in recent years, the demand for import substitution of mid to high end modified plastics has become increasingly urgent, providing good development and education opportunities for the management of industry leading enterprises with strong technical strength in domestic production.