China's leading high-performance PI film manufacturer: SZRH Film Technology Group has broken the technology blockade and market monopoly of the international PI film giants with a global market share of 8%.
The polyimide (PI) film, carbon fiber and aramid fiber standing at the top of the polymer material pyramid are considered to be the "bottleneck" key materials restricting the development of China's high-tech industry.
As a special engineering material, polyimide is widely used in aviation, aerospace, liquid crystal, microelectronics, laser and other fields. Among all the applications of polyimide, PI film is the first product to enter the field of commercial circulation.
PI film is also called "gold film" because of its amber color, excellent performance and high price. As a thin-film insulating material, PI film has excellent performance in terms of mechanical properties, dielectric properties and chemical stability, radiation resistance, corrosion resistance, high and low temperature resistance, etc., which also makes it useful in aerospace, flexible circuit boards, and consumer Strategic emerging industries such as electronics, high-speed rail transit, 5G communications, and flexible displays have a wide range of uses.
Due to the relatively high technical barriers of PI film, for a long time, its R&D and manufacturing technologies have been mainly monopolized by American, Japanese and Korean companies. Major manufacturers such as Dupont, Ube, Kaneka, MGC, SKPI, and Damai Technology of Taiwan, together account for more than 85% of the global market share.
Among the about 80 PI film manufacturers in mainland China, SZRH has broken the technological blockade and market monopoly of foreign manufacturers with a global market share of 8%, and has entered the ranks of global market competition.
SZRH is mainly engaged in the research and development, production and sales of high-performance PI films. Its products cover the three functional forms of PI films: dielectric materials, functional materials, and structural materials. The categories include thermal control PI films, electronic PI films, electrical PI films, and aerospace PI film for aviation, CPI film for flexible display, etc.
On March 28, 2018, SZRH was officially listed. Through 15 years of continuous technological innovation and accumulation, the company has mastered the complete core technology of high-performance PI film preparation such as formulas, processes and equipment, and has become one of the world's most abundant suppliers of high-performance PI film products.
Break the technology blockade
In 2008, SZRH completed the acceptance of the high-tech industrialization demonstration project of the "1000mm width continuous biaxially oriented polyimide film production line" of the National Development and Reform Commission of China. In this project, SZRH and the units affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Sciences completed the construction of a demonstration base for the industrialization of continuous biaxially oriented polyimide film with an annual output of 550 tons and 1000mm width, forming a process from special resin preparation to continuous biaxially oriented film production. Stabilized process technology and achieved mass production of the first C-level electrical PI film product.
Prior to this, China's PI thin film technology capacity could only produce low-end products for electrical and motor insulation, and it was difficult to meet higher demand for microelectronics manufacturing and packaging. After the completion of the above-mentioned PI film production line, it can produce high-performance PI films with multiple specifications and varieties that meet the needs of high-tech industries such as microelectronics substrates, aerospace and aviation, and to a certain extent break the market monopoly and technology of foreign manufacturers in China. Blockade to achieve localization and self-sufficiency.
Since then, SZRH has successively launched a series of products such as electrical PI film, electronic PI film, thermal control PI film, and aerospace PI film, continuously enriching its product lines and types. Among them, the three series of thermal control PI film, electronic PI film and electrical PI film have been mass-produced and sold; MAM products for aerospace and aviation are sold in small batches; and CPI films for flexible display are currently only sold for samples.
Specifically, look at the performance capabilities of SZRH's various products. In electrical PI film, SZRH mainly produces corona-resistant PI film and a small amount of C-level electrical PI film, which can be used in high-speed rail transit, wind power generation and other fields. Since 2012, SZRH products have successively passed the product certifications of Siemens, CRRC and other companies, breaking DuPont's long-term global monopoly in this field.
In electronic PI film, SZRH mainly has two types of products: PI film for electronic substrate and PI film for electronic printing. The former is mainly used for the preparation of FPC, and the latter is mainly used for making electronic labels, which can serialize printed circuit boards. Identify and trace the entire production process. Both products are ultimately used in consumer electronics, 5G communications, automotive electronics and other fields.
In the thermal control PI film, SZRH successfully developed a high thermal conductivity graphite film precursor PI film in 2013, which can be used in consumer electronics and other fields. This product has entered the supply chain of CZTY Graphene Technology and other well-known domestic graphite thermal conductive material manufacturers , And was included in the "Made in China 2025 Key New Materials First Batch Application Demonstration Catalog (2017 Edition)".
Due to its high and low temperature resistance, radiation resistance, etc., PI film can still maintain good stability in various extreme spaces and environments, so it is also used in aerospace fields such as rocket thermal control materials. The company relies on the independently developed PI composite film production technology to produce MAM products for aerospace and aviation, which are mainly supplied to the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, filling the domestic gap.
In addition, in recent years, in the display solutions of electronic products such as smart phones, OLED has become a trend to replace LCD, and it has developed in the direction of curved, foldable, and rollable. The application of flexible OLEDs in electronic product displays continues to increase. At this time, CPI films for flexible displays, which can be used for flexible display structural components such as screen covers, are also quickly welcoming market demand. However, due to high technical barriers, only a few companies such as South Korea KOLON and Japan's Sumitomo Chemical have mass production and supply capabilities.
In 2018, SZRH successfully produced CPI film based on its own preparation technology. The product can be folded more than 200,000 times, and its key performance has passed the evaluation of mainstream Chinese brand manufacturers. Samples have been sold for product testing by terminal brand manufacturers and their supporting suppliers.
SZRH recently announced that the company will invest in a new PI film production line, increase the purchase of advanced equipment, and increase the product width from 1000mm to 1200/1600mm. At the same time, a digital management system is introduced to build the industry's leading Distributed Control System (DCS) and PLC system for the control and inspection of the production process to improve production efficiency and level.