PEEK material - robots, aerospace and military industries cannot do without it.

PEEK material - robots, aerospace and military industries cannot do without it. On August 5th, an important document on PEEK material was released, and the "White Paper on Lightweight Development of High end Equipment" clearly listed PEEK material as a key support object. Assist in strengthening the industrial chain.
What is PEEK material? What are the application scenarios? What is the competitive landscape like? Let's clarify it.
What is PEEK material?
We all know that for the manufacturing industry, the prosperity of upstream materials depends on the demand for downstream end products. When downstream end products enter the stage of high demand, upstream materials will either increase in price or expand production, and the performance of related enterprises will also experience a simultaneous increase in quantity and price.
So for the robotics industry, the current PEEK material is a bit like lithium ore in the era of new energy vehicles, with higher technological content, wider application fields, and the logic of independent safety and domestic substitution.
According to relevant information, PEEK material, also known as "polyetheretherketone", is a semi crystalline polymer with characteristics such as lightweight, high strength, high temperature resistance, and wear resistance. The material density is only 58% of aluminum alloy, but the tensile strength can reach 200MPa (after carbon fiber reinforcement). It is in the "crown" position of engineering plastics in terms of performance and commercial value.
(Source: China Post Securities, China Research&Development Corporation)
PEEK material is somewhat different from lithium ore in the field of new energy, with a patent threshold and a wide variety of subcategories that test chemical synthesis and processing technology. It is known as a "special engineering plastic". Its excellent comprehensive performance has made it widely used in various fields such as transportation, aerospace, electronic information, energy and industry, medical and health.
The first choice for weight reduction of humanoid robots
It is worth mentioning that PEEK can better meet the performance requirements of electric humanoid robots in terms of mechanical strength, high temperature performance, dielectric properties, thermoplasticity, and hydrolysis resistance, and is the preferred material for weight reduction of humanoid robots. According to data, Tesla Optimus Gen2 has reduced weight by 10 kilograms and increased walking speed by 30% by using PEEK material.
However, for a long period of time before 2022, China's humanoid robot industry will continue to be in the stage of basic research and technological accumulation. The leading products are mostly small humanoid robots used for education, as well as a small number of full-size humanoid robots used for experiments, exhibitions, performances, and other scenarios.
In 2023, the humanoid robot industry will enter a period of explosive growth. With the joint efforts of academia, industry, government, capital and other parties, the development potential of humanoid robots will be rapidly released, and the demand for PEEK materials will also experience a major explosion. From 2012 to 2021, the demand for PEEK products in China increased from 80 tons to 1980 tons, with an average annual compound growth rate of 42.84%.
According to calculations by Guojin Securities, every 100000 humanoid robots will drive 195 tons of PEEK demand, and the domestic PEEK market size may reach 16.7 billion yuan in 2027, with a compound annual growth rate of over 13%. If the global sales of humanoid robots reach 600000 units by 2030, the demand for PEEK will exceed 1170 tons.
However, at the domestic level, the actual share of Chinese companies in PEEK materials is not high, and it was basically monopolized by the UK in the early days. But the good news is that the cost is low and there is a lot of room for improvement in localization. At present, the price of domestically produced PEEK is 400-500 yuan/kg, which is only half of the price of imported products (800-1000 yuan/kg). According to data provided by China International Capital Corporation, the current localization rate of PEEK materials is less than 15%. In the next five years, the domestic production capacity will exceed 10000 tons, and the localization rate is expected to increase to 30%.
2025 is a crucial year for the robotics industry, as it moves from technology validation to large-scale production. The secondary market is also gradually transitioning from the "overseas mapping" theme market from 2023 to 2024 to a prosperous investment of "profit realization". Previously, the controversy surrounding humanoid robots was due to their slow landing and unclear commercialization path. If the future profitability is realized and the application scenarios are expanded, it is expected to truly usher in a major market trend of significant production expansion, profit growth, and Davis double clicking.