1. Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene was developed and applied earlier in Europe and America. At first, the development was relatively flat, and the annual growth rate was about 5%. In recent years, due to the constant conflicts and wars in various regions of the world, the development and research of bulletproof materials has received increasing attention, and more and more types of bulletproof materials have been put into use. High-performance fibers have gradually replaced traditional steel and ceramic manufacturing. Mainly bulletproof materials, in the production of bulletproof vests, bulletproof armor and bulletproof helmets, ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fibers have attracted much attention due to their superior performance. In this form, it has stimulated the continuous development of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene processing and modification technology. In recent years, the annual growth rate of foreign ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene has reached 15%-20%. Domestic ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene application started late, has a high starting point, and has developed rapidly in recent years, with an annual growth rate of 30%. It is mainly used for the production of plates, profiles and profiles. This part accounts for more than 50% of the total demand. . Industrial pipes account for about 20%, fibers for 15%, filter materials for about 10%, and others for 5%. In general, there is still a gap in the supply and demand of domestic ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene market. With the continuous development of application fields and the continuous growth of new technologies, it is expected that the market demand for domestic ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene will reach 2015. 5,000 tons / year. In addition to the continuous expansion of the main fields of use such as plates, profiles and pipes, it is worth mentioning that in the field of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers, the development has been very rapid in recent years, and the market share has increased year by year. Since the September 11th terrorist incident in the United States, the demand for protective clothing such as bulletproof vests has increased dramatically. At present, there are some differences in the use structure of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers in Europe, America and Japan. Europe and the United States are mainly used for body armor and weapons and equipment, accounting for 60% to 70% of the total amount, followed by cables, fishing nets and labor protection articles. Japan is mainly used for cables, fishing nets and labor protection articles. According to incomplete statistics, at present, China’s ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber manufacturers have grown to about 20, with a total production capacity of more than 6,000 tons. With the increasing maturity of China’s ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber scale industry, coupled with the decline in production costs and product prices, it will certainly drive its research and development in the field of national defense and civilian use, and the social demand will continue to grow. In addition, due to the strict technical blockade of the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber manufacturing and processing technology for military use in developed countries, the development of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber has an unusual strategic significance for China’s national defense construction and military supply.
2. Conclusions and development prospects
In general, the application of UH MWPE products has experienced a variety of high-performance processes from simple shape, single performance requirements to complex shapes. In recent years, with the continuous development of processing and modification technology, the application range of products has expanded to various fields of the national economy. It is expected that the annual growth rate of international engineering plastics market demand will reach more than 10% in the next few years. With the gradual intensification of competition, high-performance engineering plastics such as high temperature resistant, wear resistant, conductive and electromagnetic shielding products will have a lot of room for development. Since UHMWPE has many advantages that engineering plastics cannot match, its demand will be further expanded. According to statistics, the domestic plastics and building materials industry is becoming the second largest industry in the plastics industry, which is second only to packaging, at an average annual growth rate of more than 15%. The application of plastic sheets is widely used in plastic building materials, especially super. Application of high molecular weight polyethylene sheet. With the continuous advancement of technology, the production of plastic sheets is also developing in the direction of integrating beauty and use, and the functions are also expanding in a more professional and special functional direction. Therefore, the demand in this area will increase year by year.
In addition, with the increasing maturity of domestic ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber processing technology, coupled with the decline in production costs and product prices, it will certainly drive the research and development of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber products in the fields of national defense and civil use, which will further stimulate The development of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene has expanded its market application range.
From the current technical level, the processing of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene is still a worldwide technical problem. Most of the products currently processed by extrusion, injection molding and the like are limited to the lower molecular weight range. However, it can be expected that with the continuous advancement of processing technology, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene will have a wider market application prospect in the field of wear-resistant materials, and will have greater market potential.