1. Introduction to ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber
Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber, referred to as UHMWPE fiber, also known as high-strength and high-modulus polyethylene fiber, is an unbranched linear polyethylene with a molecular weight of more than 1.5 million. The general viscous average molecular weight is more than 1.5 million, and the weight average molecular weight is more than 3 million.
2. Policies related to ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber
According to the "Research on the Development Trend of China's Ultra-high Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber Industry and Future Investment Forecast Report (2023-2030)" released by Guanyan Report Network, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber is currently the fiber with the highest specific strength and specific modulus in the world, and is the third generation of high-performance fiber after carbon fiber and aramid. Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber is an important strategic high-performance material related to national security and economic development, and the relevant departments of the state have launched a series of policies to support and encourage the development of the industry, laying a solid foundation for promoting the rapid, healthy and long-term development of the industry.
Policies related to ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber in mainland China
| Time | policy | Publishing Department | Main content: |
| 2022.04 | "Guiding Opinions on the High-quality Development of Chemical Fiber Industry" | Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, National Development and Reform Commission | Improve carbon fiber, aramid, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber, polyimide fiber. The production and application level of polyphenylene sulfide fiber, polytetracyanoethylene fiber and continuous basalt fiber can improve the quality consistency and batch stability of high-performance fibers. Further expand the application of high-performance fibers in aerospace, Fengli and photovoltaic power generation, marine engineering, environmental protection, safety protection, geotechnical construction, transportation and other fields. |
| 2021.05 | "14th Five-Year Plan Development Guide for Chemical New Materials Industry" | China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation | Cultivate about 50 new military enterprises or "unicorn" enterprises in the new chemical materials industry with strong continuous innovation ability and market influence, and some of them have reached the international advanced level in terms of innovation ability and market influence |
| 2021.03 | Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development of the People's Republic of China and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035 | State council | Relying on leading enterprises in the industry. Intensify the research of important products and key core technologies, and accelerate the industrialization of engineering. Implement major technical equipment research projects, improve incentive and risk compensation mechanisms, and promote the demonstration and application of general Taiwan (sets) equipment, batch materials, and the first version of software. |
| 2019.11 | "Guidance Catalogue for the First Batch of Application Demonstration of Key New Materials (2019 Edition)" | Ministry | Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers that meet the performance requirements of ultra-high strength, heat resistance and creep resistance are high-performance fibers and composite materials, which belong to the key strategic material family |
| 2019.10 | Catalogue for the Guidance of Industrial Structure Adjustment (2019 Edition) | National Development and Reform Commission | In the field of textile industry: the development, production and application of high-performance fibers and products are encouraged, including THIWPE fibers. |
| 2017.04 | "13th Five-Year Plan" special plan for scientific and technological innovation in the field of materials》 | Ministry of Science and Technology | With high-performance fibers and composite materials including 0HMVPE fibers as the core, we will solve major scientific problems in material design and structural control, break through the key technologies for the preparation and application of structural and composite materials, and enhance the guarantee ability and international competitiveness of advanced structural materials. |
Source: Compiled by Guanyan Tianxia
3. Construction of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber production capacity
For example, at the beginning of 2022, the fourth phase of the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber expansion project implemented by Kyushu Interstellar started with a total investment of 1 billion yuan, and the new production capacity of 5,200 tons in 2022 was started. Continental has become one of the main producers of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber. As of 2022, the mainland's UHMWPE fiber production capacity is about 74,500 tons/year, and the output is about 33,500 tons.
2022-2023 investment and construction of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber production capacity in mainland China
| Company name | Capacity investment and construction |
| Kyushu Interstellar Technology Co., Ltd | At the beginning of 2022, the fourth phase of the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber expansion project implemented by Kyushu Interstellar started, with a total investment of 1 billion yuan and an additional production capacity of 5,200 tons in 2022. |
| Kyushu Interstellar High Performance Fiber Products Co., Ltd | In July 2022, Jiangsu Kyushu Interstellar New Materials Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Kyushu Interstellar, invested 2.39 billion yuan to build an annual output of 20,000 tons of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber expansion project, which is expected to achieve annual sales of 4 billion yuan after the completion of the project, and the total production capacity will exceed 40,000 tons in the future. |
| Jiangsu Henghui Security Co., Ltd | In June 2022, Jiangsu Jiuzhou Interstellar High-Performance Fiber Products Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Kyushu Interstellar, rented an idle plant in Rudong Economic Development Zone and invested 200 million yuan to expand the production equipment of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber weftless fabric. According to the data of Yan'an Bikang's 2022 annual report, the company's ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber weftless fabric production capacity has reached 2,500 tons/year. |
| Beijing Tongyizhong New Material Technology Co., Ltd | The second and third phases of the company's new microfiber material fundraising project are expected to be completed and put into production by the end of 2022, when the production capacity of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber will increase from the original 600 tons/year to 3,000 tons/year; According to the latest disclosure in the 2022 annual report, the project capacity has been fully released. It is estimated that by August 2023, the company's full production capacity of ultra-high molecular weight polysyrup fiber is expected to reach 3,600 tons. |
| Shandong Nanshan Zhishang Technology Co., Ltd | According to the data of Tongyizhong's 2022 annual report, the company's UHMWPE fiber design capacity totals 4,320 tons/year. The main products of the subsidiary Yancheng Youhebo New Materials Co., Ltd. are ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers, the first phase of 1000 tons/year production capacity has reached production, and the second phase of 1000 tons/year production line has been ordered, with the basis for rapid expansion of production capacity to 3000 tons/year production capacity; The UHMWPE fiber production capacity of the company's Xintai branch is 2,240 tons/year. |
| Zhejiang Millennium Dragon Fiber Special Fiber Co., Ltd | The first phase of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene of Nanshan Zhishang Company has a design capacity of 600 tons/year, which has been put into operation in June 2022 and achieved full production in October. At present, a full range of products have been trial-produced, mainly 800D bulletproof wire level products, in addition to some anti-cutting and rope fiber products. |
| Shandong Xingyu Glove Co., Ltd | In September 2022, the company issued an announcement on the raising of convertible bonds, raising 700 million yuan for the construction of the second phase of the new material project with an annual output of 3,000 tons of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene; The project is planned to be gradually put into operation in the first half of 2023, and it is planned to achieve full production in the second half of 2023. After the completion of the project, the company's total UHMWPE fiber production capacity is 3,600 tons/year. |
Data source: Guanyan Tianxia Data Center
Data source: Guanyan Tianxia Data Center
Fourth, the downstream market of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber
Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber has many excellent properties such as ultra-high strength, ultra-high modulus, low density, wear resistance, low temperature resistance, ultraviolet resistance, shielding resistance, good flexibility, high impact energy absorption, strong acid, strong alkali, chemical corrosion resistance, etc., and is widely used, including safety protection, aerospace, marine engineering, textile and garment, construction and other fields.
Application field of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber
| Fields of application | Brief introduction | |
| Defense | Due to the good impact resistance of the fiber and the large specific energy absorption, it can be made into protective clothing, helmets, and bulletproof materials in the military, such as armor protection plates for helicopters, tanks and ships, protective shell covers for radars, missile covers, body armor, stab-proof vests, shields, etc., among which the application of body armor is the most eye-catching. With its low dielectric constant, low dielectric loss, sonar transmittance and other properties, it is used in antenna fairing, missile cover, radar protective shell cover, etc. It has the advantage of being gentle and is more bulletproof than aramid. | |
| Aviation | In aerospace engineering, due to its light weight, high strength and good impact resistance, the fiber composite material is suitable for the wingtip structure of various aircraft, spacecraft structure and buoy aircraft. The fiber can also be used as a deceleration parachute for space shuttle landings and a rope for suspending heavy loads on airplanes, replacing traditional steel and synthetic fiber ropes, which are developing at an unusually rapid rate. | |
| Industrial sector | Industrially, the fiber and its composite materials can be used as pressure-resistant containers, conveyor belts, filter materials, automobile buffer plates, etc.; In construction, it can be used as a wall, partition structure, etc., and it can be used as a reinforced cement composite material to improve the toughness of cement and improve its impact resistance. Due to its excellent wear resistance and impact resistance, it is widely used in the machinery manufacturing industry, and can be used to make various gears, cams, impellers, rollers, pulleys, bearings, bearings, bushings, shaft cutting, gaskets, gaskets, elastic couplings, screws and other mechanical parts. | |
| Civil sector | Ropes, cables | Ropes, ropes, sails and fishing gear made from this fiber are suitable for marine engineering and are the original use of this fiber. It is widely used in negative ropes, heavy-duty ropes, salvage ropes, towing ropes, sailboat ropes and fishing lines. The length of the rope made of this fiber under its own weight is 8 times that of steel rope and 2 times that of aramid. The rope is used for fixed anchor ropes for supertankers, offshore operating platforms, lighthouses, etc., and solves the problem of reducing the strength and breaking of the rope caused by the rust encountered in the past steel rope and the corrosion, hydrolysis and ultraviolet degradation encountered by nylon and polyester cables, which need to be replaced frequently. |
| Sports equipment supplies | It has been made into helmets, skis, sailing boards, fishing rods, rackets and bicycles, gliders, ultra-lightweight aircraft parts and other parts for sporting goods, and its performance is better than that of traditional materials. | |
| Biomaterials | The fiber-reinforced composite material is used in dental tray materials, medical grafts and plastic sutures, etc., its biocompatibility and durability are good, and it has high stability, will not cause allergies, and has been used in clinical applications. It is also used in medical gloves and other medical procedures, among other things. |
Source: Compiled by Guanyan Tianxia
According to the data, in 2022, the market size of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber in mainland China will reach 5.654 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 26.89%. Military equipment, marine industry and safety protection are the three major downstream markets of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber in the mainland, accounting for 24.96%, 23.47% and 22.11% respectively.
Data source: Guanyan Tianxia Data Center
Data source: Guanyan Tianxia Data Center (ZLJ)