Guojin Basic Chemicals Chen Yi | Humanoid Robots: Entering the First Year of Mass Production, Creating Opportunities for Materials

PPS was first successfully developed and industrialized by Phillips in 1968, and until 1985, Phillips maintained a monopoly over PPS production and the market. Shortly after the patent expired, Japanese companies rapidly established resin and compound processing plants; Toray, Toyobo, and Kuraray successively launched PPS fiber development efforts. Today, Japanese companies dominate the global market. China’s PPS research and industrialization began later than abroad. Currently, New Huacheng is China’s leading PPS enterprise, with an annual PPS capacity of 22,000 tons—the only domestic company capable of stably producing fiber-grade, injection-molding-grade, extrusion-grade, and coating-grade PPS. In robotics, PPS offers outstanding heat resistance, corrosion resistance, and low density, making it ideal for robot skeletons and connectors—significantly reducing overall system weight. Moreover, its excellent electrical insulation properties, high dielectric strength, and relatively low total cost constitute key advantages for robotic applications. Compared with PEEK, PPS holds several potential advantages in robotics: higher domestication rate in China, lower full production cost and price, comparable mechanical strength and corrosion resistance, and superior performance in lightweighting robot frames. PPS is thus poised to become a strong competitor to PEEK as a structural material for humanoid robots. Investors are advised to monitor New Huacheng, China’s leading PPS producer. 2.4 Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP): Primary Material for Core Robot Components Liquid crystal polymer (LCP) is a thermoplastic high-molecular-weight material that exhibits liquid crystalline behavior when molten. Its molecules possess both high molecular weight and orientational order. In the liquid crystalline phase, LCP exhibits low viscosity and high molecular orientation; upon cooling and solidification, this oriented morphology remains stable. LCP boasts a suite of exceptional properties—including high strength, outstanding heat resistance, low moisture absorption, excellent flame retardancy, electrical insulation, chemical corrosion resistance, and low dielectric constant—making it widely used in high-tech fields such as electronics & electrical appliances, aerospace, national defense & military, and optical communications. Based on the conditions required to form the liquid crystalline phase, LCPs are classified into lyotropic liquid crystalline polymers (LLCPs) and thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers (TLCPs). LLCPs can only be processed in solution—not melt-processed—and are limited to fiber and coating applications. TLCPs, however, can be processed in the molten state: they can be spun into high-strength fibers via solution spinning and shaped into diverse products via injection molding, extrusion, and other thermal processing methods—offering far broader varieties and applications than LLCPs. Globally, LCP production capacity is concentrated primarily in Japan and the United States. Japanese and U.S. firms began mass-producing LCPs in the 1980s. Global LCP leaders include U.S.-based Celanese, Japan’s Polyplastics, and Sumitomo Chemical, with current capacities of 22,000 tons, 20,000 tons, and 11,000 tons, respectively. China entered the LCP field relatively late and long relied on imports from the U.S. and Japan. However, in recent years, domestic enterprises—including Kingfa Science & Technology, Wotong Co., Ltd., and Polytec—have ramped up LCP production capacity. Their current capacities stand at 6,000 tons, 5,000 tons, and 10,000 tons, respectively, with additional capacity under construction. As a result, China’s domestic LCP production scale is gradually catching up with overseas leaders, increasing the domestic share of LCP supply, accelerating import substitution, and supporting higher future penetration of LCP in robotic materials.

China’s Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) Market Development Prospects and Investment Strategy Analysis Report, 2026–2032

2.2.2 Revenue Market Share of Major Chinese LCP Manufacturers (2022–2026) 2.2.3 Revenue Ranking of Major Chinese LCP Manufacturers in 2026 2.3 Pricing of Major Chinese LCP Manufacturers (2022–2026) 2.4 Headquarters and Production Base Distribution of Major Chinese LCP Manufacturers 2.5 Establishment Dates and Commercialization Timelines of LCP Products for Major Chinese Manufacturers 2.6 Product Types and Applications of Major Chinese LCP Manufacturers 2.7 Industry Concentration and Competitive Landscape Analysis 2.7.1 Industry Concentration Analysis: Top 5 Chinese Manufacturers’ Market Share in 2026 2.7.2 First-Tier, Second-Tier, and Third-Tier Chinese LCP Manufacturers (Brands) and Their 2026 Market Shares 2.8 New Investments and M&A Activities 3 Company Profiles 3.1 Celanese 3.1.1 Celanese: Basic Information, LCP Production Bases, Headquarters, Competitors, and Market Position 3.1.2 Celanese LCP Product Specifications, Parameters, and Market Applications 3.1.3 Celanese LCP Sales Volume, Revenue, Pricing, and Gross Margin in the Chinese Market (2022–2026) 3.1.4 Celanese Company Profile and Core Business 3.1.5 Latest Celanese Corporate Developments 3.2 Polyplastics 3.2.1 Polyplastics: Basic Information, LCP Production Bases, Headquarters, Competitors, and Market Position 3.2.2 Polyplastics LCP Product Specifications, Parameters, and Market Applications 3.2.3 Polyplastics LCP Sales Volume, Revenue, Pricing, and Gross Margin in the Chinese Market (2022–2026) 3.2.4 Polyplastics Company Profile and Core Business 3.2.5 Latest Polyplastics Corporate Developments 3.3 Sumitomo Chemical 3.3.1 Sumitomo Chemical: Basic Information, LCP Production Bases, Headquarters, Competitors, and Market Position 3.3.2 Sumitomo Chemical LCP Product Specifications, Parameters, and Market Applications 3.3.3 Sumitomo Chemical LCP Sales Volume, Revenue, Pricing, and Gross Margin in the Chinese Market (2022–2026) 3.3.4 Sumitomo Chemical Company Profile and Core Business 3.3.5 Latest Sumitomo Chemical Corporate Developments 3.4 Shiyang Resin 3.4.1 Shiyang Resin: Basic Information, LCP Production Bases, Headquarters, Competitors, and Market Position 3.4.2 Shiyang Resin LCP Product Specifications, Parameters, and Market Applications 3.4.3 Shiyang Resin LCP Sales Volume, Revenue, Pricing, and Gross Margin in the Chinese Market (2022–2026) 3.4.4 Shiyang Resin Company Profile and Core Business 3.4.5 Latest Shiyang Resin Corporate Developments 3.5 Wotong Co., Ltd. 3.5.1 Wotong Co., Ltd.: Basic Information, LCP Production Bases, Headquarters, Competitors, and Market Position

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