Top 10 Technological Trends of Rubber and Plastic in 2025（6~10）

In 2025, CHINAPLAS released the following ten technological trends in rubber and plastic, analyzing the trajectory of technological innovation in the rubber and plastic industry, helping upstream and downstream enterprises in the rubber and plastic industry chain seize market opportunities, and empowering the high-quality development of the rubber and plastic industry. The following are Articles 6 to 10.

6. Intelligent injection molding and supporting technology

Significance: Intelligent injection molding and supporting technologies, through the deep integration of high automation and the Internet of Things, help plastic product processing enterprises achieve quality improvement, efficiency enhancement, and personalized production.

We have noticed that intelligent injection molding is not only suitable for processing conventional materials such as engineering plastics and general plastics, but also for processing special materials such as composite materials, polyurethane, and liquid silicone, meeting the diverse and specific needs of different application scenarios.

Composite material injection molding: effectively improves the strength, toughness, and fatigue resistance of products, supports multifunctional integrated design, and reduces product assembly processes.

Polyurethane injection molding: Polyurethane exhibits excellent compatibility and adhesion with various materials during the injection molding process. It can be tightly combined with materials such as metal, wood, fibers, etc. to form composite structures, meeting the diversified needs of product design and manufacturing.

Liquid silicone injection molding: The high fluidity of liquid silicone allows it to better fill complex mold cavities during the injection molding process, making it particularly suitable for processing products with high requirements for details and accuracy.

In addition, the centralized feeding system integrates intelligent sensors and data analysis to automatically adjust the supply and ratio of materials, accurately measuring and uniformly mixing raw materials, effectively ensuring the stability and continuity of plastic processing production. The mold and hot runner are designed with high precision and modularity to ensure stable and efficient operation of the injection molding process.

7. Efficient extrusion and supporting technology

Significance: Efficient extrusion technology and supporting technologies have opened up new dimensions for the production and processing of granulation, pipe and film, providing solid technical support for large-scale and high-quality production of multi material and multi-layer pipe (film) composites.

We have noticed that whether it is efficient granulation extrusion, customized pipe extrusion, or high-speed film extrusion, the following technological trends are emerging:

Enhancement of intelligence and automation: Through technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data, and artificial intelligence, real-time monitoring and analysis of key parameters such as temperature, pressure, and speed during the extrusion process are carried out to ensure stable production and consistent product quality.

Continuous optimization of high-precision extrusion technology: precise extrusion molding is achieved through high-precision screw, mold design, pressure control system, temperature regulation, and high-performance drive system.

Continuous improvement of high-efficiency and energy-saving technologies: Developing new screw structures and barrel materials to improve material conveying and melting efficiency and reduce energy consumption. Optimize heating and cooling systems to reduce energy consumption.

In addition, the extrusion die plays a crucial role in controlling the shape, size, and quality of the final extruded product. The extrusion die is assisting in efficient and high-quality extrusion through optimized design of the flow channel structure and high-precision processing.

8. Multi layer and multi cavity blow molding technology

Significance: Multi layer and multi cavity blow molding plays an important role in enhancing the barrier and mechanical properties of products, reducing material waste, and achieving multifunctional integration.

We have noticed that multi-layer and multi cavity blow molding is undergoing multidimensional optimization and improvement in the following aspects:

Stability and continuity: By improving the extruder and head, the precise length and thickness of the embryo are ensured, achieving stable and continuous production.

Intelligence: Utilizing sensors and artificial intelligence algorithms to monitor and adaptively adjust parameters during the blow molding process, timely fault diagnosis and predictive maintenance are made, reducing unnecessary downtime.

Electrification: The all electric injection molding machine has obvious advantages in saving material costs, debugging costs, energy efficiency, and cleanliness, but it can only be applied to small and medium-sized hollow fields. The stability of the equipment and the final energy consumption data still need to be tested by the market.

In addition, blow molding molds are also iterated through intelligent and automated technologies to ensure the stability of the blow molding process and reduce waste rates.

9. Functional film and surface treatment

Significance: With the innovative integration of new material applications, high-precision coating technology, automation, and continuous production technology, functional films and their surface treatment processes play an indispensable role in high-end application scenarios such as packaging, new energy, and optics.

We have noticed that the common single material films, optical films, and lithium battery separators in functional films have the following technological development trends:

Single material film: The number of layers is increasing, from 5, 7 to 11, and the thickness is getting thinner, with a thickness of only 18 microns. The increase in layers allows each layer of film to be more accurately endowed with unique functions such as barrier, reinforcement, heat sealing, etc. The reduction of thickness not only achieves lightweighting of thin films, but also reduces material costs and resource consumption for enterprises.

Optical thin film: Through the research and development of new high-performance materials and high-precision coating technology, thin films with functions such as anti reflection, reflection, polarization, and filtering are achieved to meet the customized needs of complex optical systems, reducing the number of optical components and system complexity.

Lithium battery separator: By applying composite materials, the mechanical strength, conductivity, and porosity of the separator are improved, further enhancing the energy density and cycle life of the battery. By utilizing ultra-thin technology to reduce battery internal resistance and provide more space for electrode materials, the energy density of the battery can be improved, the range can be extended, and the charging speed can be enhanced. The innovation of coating technology has also improved the thermal stability, mechanical strength, and electrolyte wettability of the membrane.

In addition, in addition to coating and coating processes, surface treatment processes such as heat transfer printing, solvent-free printing, and corona discharge also provide technical support for customized processing of functional films.

10. Automation and Intelligence Technology

Significance: The automation and intelligent technology system covers key areas such as online quality inspection, collaborative robots, advanced control systems, and refined energy management systems. It plays a crucial role in shortening the molding cycle, improving processing efficiency, and ensuring quality stability.

We have noticed that there are the following technological trends worth paying attention to in online quality inspection, collaborative robots, control systems, and energy management:

Deep learning of big data models: By training models with a large amount of data, online quality inspection systems can automatically learn and identify defect patterns of various plastic products, improving the accuracy and efficiency of detection; The control system of the molding machine can automatically adjust parameters such as injection pressure, speed, and temperature to achieve the best molding effect.

High compatibility: According to the specific requirements of the production line, switch the corresponding online quality inspection, collaborative robot working mode, or control system and energy management mode to achieve collaborative optimization with the production system.