With the successful landing of Yushu Technology in the capital market and the official start of mass production and delivery of Tesla Optimus embodied intelligent robots, the global humanoid robot industry has entered a critical cycle of large-scale landing. From quadruped walking robots to humanoid collaborative robots, equipment needs to complete autonomous movement, precise grasping, and human-machine collaborative operations under complex working conditions such as high temperature, dust, acidity, and high-frequency reciprocating motion. Traditional metal components are heavy, prone to fatigue, and have high processing costs. Ordinary general-purpose plastics lack heat resistance, wear resistance, and dimensional stability, making it difficult to meet the strict standards for long-term stable operation of mass-produced models.
High performance modified engineering plastics, with their comprehensive advantages such as adjustable molecular structure, lightweight, self-lubricating, temperature and corrosion resistance, and integrated molding, have become the core carrier for robot "de metalization" and cost reduction and efficiency improvement. Guangdong Chuangyongjia New Materials has been deeply involved in modified engineering plastics for nearly 30 years. The R&D center has developed customized PEEK, PPS, fiberglass/carbon fiber reinforced PA66 series modified materials for different functional components of robots, accurately matching the structural skeleton, transmission wear resistance, motor protection, shell support and other full scenario needs. Relying on a complete set of Kebelong digital production equipment and a perfect material testing system, it provides stable and mass-produced polymer material solutions for embodied intelligent robots.
With the successful landing of Yushu Technology in the capital market and the official start of mass production and delivery of Tesla Optimus embodied intelligent robots, the global humanoid robot industry has entered a critical cycle of large-scale landing. From quadruped walking robots to humanoid collaborative robots, equipment needs to complete autonomous movement, precise grasping, and human-machine collaborative operations under complex working conditions such as high temperature, dust, acidity, and high-frequency reciprocating motion. Traditional metal components are heavy, prone to fatigue, and have high processing costs. Ordinary general-purpose plastics lack heat resistance, wear resistance, and dimensional stability, making it difficult to meet the strict standards for long-term stable operation of mass-produced models.
High performance modified engineering plastics, with their comprehensive advantages such as adjustable molecular structure, lightweight, self-lubricating, temperature and corrosion resistance, and integrated molding, have become the core carrier for robot "de metalization" and cost reduction and efficiency improvement. Guangdong Chuangyongjia New Materials has been deeply involved in modified engineering plastics for nearly 30 years. The R&D center has developed customized PEEK, PPS, fiberglass/carbon fiber reinforced PA66 series modified materials for different functional components of robots, accurately matching the structural skeleton, transmission wear resistance, motor protection, shell support and other full scenario needs. Relying on a complete set of Kebelong digital production equipment and a perfect material testing system, it provides stable and mass-produced polymer material solutions for embodied intelligent robots.
2、 Segmented application, parameters, and functional characteristics of three core modified material robot components
（1） Modified PEEK series: the preferred material for core load-bearing and transmission of high-end humanoid robots
PEEK is known as the "king of plastics" in the industry, with a basic density of only 1.3g/cm ³, which is about half of aluminum alloy. It can be used continuously for a long time at a temperature of up to 260 ℃. It has basic characteristics such as self-lubricating, ultra-high fatigue resistance, low water absorption, acid and alkali corrosion resistance, and is a core alternative metal material for high-end models such as Tesla Optimus and Yushu quadruped robot.
1. Carbon fiber reinforced PEEK (CF30-PEEK)
1. Key parameters: tensile strength of 215MPa, bending modulus of 18GPa, friction coefficient of 0.22, weight reduction of over 40%, long-term dimensional fluctuation ≤ 0.3 μ m/100mm;
2. Application components: robot hip joint, knee joint, mechanical arm main skeleton, harmonic reducer rigid wheel, six axis force sensor bracket;
3. Functional advantages: The specific strength is close to that of titanium alloy, and there is no fatigue cracking after thousands of reciprocating bending cycles. Lightweight design significantly reduces the inertia of the entire machine and increases walking speed by 30%; The self-lubricating feature eliminates the need for additional lubricating oil, reduces the overall operating noise by 15dB, and is suitable for precision transmission scenarios of medical humanoid robots and high-end industrial collaborative robots.
2. Universal wear-resistant PEEK
1. Application scenarios: flexible hand joint shaft sleeve, encoder insulation bracket, motor high-temperature isolation gasket;
2. Core value: Excellent insulation performance to isolate electromagnetic interference from motors, no deformation under high temperature conditions, ensuring long-term detection accuracy of sensors.
（2） Fiberglass reinforced PPS series: the main cost-effective material for mass-produced robot motors and casings
Pure PPS has a long-term use temperature of 260 ℃, extremely low water absorption rate, natural V0 level flame retardant, and resistance to various organic solvent corrosion. Its cost is only 1/3 of PEEK, and it is suitable for large-scale production of non main load-bearing structural components, balancing performance and production costs.
1. GF40-PPS glass fiber reinforced modified material
1. Key parameters: hot deformation temperature of 250 ℃, flame retardant UL94 V0, tensile strength of 160MPa, weight reduction of 60%;
2. Application components: robot motor housing, power cabin bracket, sensor radar cover, battery protective shell;
3. Functional advantages: The motor will not soften or deform under continuous heating conditions, and the factory's acidic and alkaline cutting fluid environment will not corrode for a long time. Its flame retardant properties avoid the risk of circuit short circuit and fire, and it is widely used in automotive production line handling robots and warehouse inspection robots.
（3） Fiberglass/carbon fiber reinforced PA66 modified nylon: a universal material for mid-range robot support and transmission
PA66 has a high melting point, balanced toughness and rigidity, and excellent processing flowability. After modification, its wear resistance and impact resistance are greatly improved, and its cost-effectiveness is outstanding. It is the most commonly used material for the seventh axis and auxiliary support of industrial robots.
1. GF50-PA66 high rigidity fiberglass reinforced nylon
1. Key parameters: Stable motion accuracy to 0.5 μ m/300mm, tensile strength of 190MPa, excellent impact resistance;
2. Application components: robot bearing seat, body side bracket, wire harness connector base, drive shaft housing;
3. Functional advantages: Suitable for conventional load-bearing conditions, low cost of large-scale injection molding, and high consistency of size in mass production.
2. CF30-PA12 carbon fiber modified nylon
1. Application components: collaborative robot harmonic reducer gear, light load transmission worm gear;
2. Functional advantages: The friction coefficient is extremely low, the wear resistance life is 10 times that of ordinary nylon, and the lightweight reduces the load on the transmission system.
The robot shell, battery compartment, and radar protective cover serve as the "protective armor" of the entire machine, which needs to resist impact, oil pollution, ultraviolet radiation, and high temperature erosion. Chuangyongjia is equipped with fiberglass reinforced PA66, PBT, and PPA modified engineering plastics
Fiberglass reinforced PA66-GF30: universal body shell, foot shock-absorbing base, strong toughness, and resistance to drop impact;
High temperature PPA modified material: the outer insulation shell of high-power motors can withstand high temperatures of 180 ℃ for a long time without deformation;
Flame retardant PBT: battery module protective shell, high insulation, low warpage, ensuring safe operation of lithium batteries.
4、 Chuangyongjia Intelligent Manufacturing Strength: The Bottom Support for Stable Mass Production of High end Materials
To achieve stable and unified performance of PEEK, PPS, and modified PA66 materials, intelligent production equipment and digital raw material control are the core foundations. The headquarters of Guangdong Chuangyongjia has landed in Dongguan, with a factory area of 39000 square meters and 20 flexible intelligent modification production lines. The annual production capacity is 40000 tons, and it holds 26 core patents for polymer modification, serving nearly a thousand robot and new energy manufacturing enterprises at home and abroad.
In order to overcome industry pain points such as fluctuations in the proportion of high-end modified materials, uneven mixing, and batch performance differences, the group has fully introduced the Kebelong digital feeding system and high-end twin-screw extrusion complete equipment, and established a full process digital control system: weight loss automatic feeding accurately controls the addition ratio of glass fiber, carbon fiber, and additives, with an error controlled within 0.1%; The extrusion unit monitors temperature, screw speed, and melt pressure in real-time, dynamically adjusts process parameters in a closed-loop manner, and has traceable data throughout the entire process from raw material transportation, mixing, devolatilization to pellet forming. This completely solves the performance deviation caused by manual feeding, ensures that the mechanical, wear-resistant, and heat-resistant parameters of each batch of robot specific modified materials are highly unified, and consolidates the foundation of large-scale intelligent manufacturing of high-performance special engineering plastics.
At the same time, it is equipped with a fully automated and intelligent material testing laboratory, covering static mechanics, dynamic fatigue, friction and wear, thermal deformation, flame retardant insulation testing in all dimensions, and building a digital twin system for the entire life cycle from raw materials to finished products. Each set of test data provides reliable endorsement for the long-term stable operation of robot components, forming a complete closed loop from formula research and development, intelligent production to finished product testing.
5、 Outlook: The industrial scale landing of modified engineering plastics driven robots
Currently, humanoid robots and quadruped intelligent robots are accelerating their penetration into industrial manufacturing, medical services, commercial inspections, and other scenarios. Machine manufacturers continue to promote lightweight and low-cost mass production, and "replacing metal with plastic" has become a clear technical route. PEEK、PPS、 Enhanced PA66 three types of modified materials cover high-end precision, mid-range mass production, and general supporting needs at all levels, and are essential upstream core raw materials for the robotics industry.
Chuangyongjia R&D Center will continue to delve into the field of intelligent robot materials, relying on Kebelong's digital production line, improving the testing platform and self-developed modified formula system, continuously iterating low friction, high fatigue resistance, lightweight special modified materials, and providing customers with integrated solutions for component selection, customized modification, and molding process optimization. This will help accelerate breakthroughs in the domestic humanoid robot industry chain and promote domestic high-performance engineering plastics to enter the global industry's top tier.
