China's molding compound industry began in the early 1960s. Types of molding compounds can be categorized in several ways based on different classification methods. Classified by resin matrix, the main types are phenolic, epoxy, novolac (hereinafter collectively referred to as phenolic and its modified types), and unsaturated polyester. Classified by material preparation process, the main types are premix and prepreg. Although molding compounds have a history of over forty years in China, phenolic and its modified types essentially dominated until the late 1980s (i.e., before 1990). DMC only began to appear in China in the late 1960s, and SMC was not successfully developed until 1976, having a history of at least nearly thirty years.
The development and growth of phenolic molding compounds initially benefited from the urgent demands of China's military industry. However, its development not only met the needs of the defense industry but also, due to its advantages such as heat resistance, light weight, high strength, and corrosion resistance, found relatively widespread application in areas like electromechanical products and chemical corrosion protection. Although the起步时间 (start time) of China's SMC/BMC industry had a relatively small gap compared to foreign countries, for nearly two decades before the mid-1990s, its development encountered various difficulties caused by the external environment that were more complex than those faced by other industries (some difficulties persist even today). Development was very slow. By 1989, the national total output of SMC/BMC was only 2,000 tons, reaching about 3,000 tons by 1991. Subsequently, especially in the five years from 2000 onwards, China's SMC/BMC industry benefited from the achievements of years of reform and opening up, the increase in varieties and quality of related industries' products, and stronger market demand. With years of accumulated experience and the growing maturity of the workforce, the industry achieved development results unmatched in previous decades. According to incomplete statistics, the national SMC/BMC output reached 40,000 tons by 2000, and according to association data, it reached over 60,000 tons by 2004.
This article will provide an overview of the application of molding compounds in China and related international trends. For materials, application is their history; without application, there is no development history. Therefore, while introducing applications, a brief review of the corresponding development history will also be provided.
I. Application of Phenolic and Modified Molding Compounds
Phenolic and modified molding compounds generally consist of two main components: resin and fiber. Specific functional fillers are only added when particular performance properties are required. Colorants are sometimes added. The resins used are various types of phenolic resins (including modified resins). Reinforcement materials include chopped glass fiber, high-silica oxygen fiber, carbon fiber, and historically, large quantities of waste silk, cone yarn, and roving were also used. The production method is equivalent to the corresponding method used in Premix molding compounds in the USA. There is also a prepreg method using glass fiber mat or similar felting processes. Historically, factories like Beijing 251 Factory, Changzhou 253 Factory, Tianjin FRP Factory (254 Factory), Qinhuangdao Industrial Technical Glass Factory Workshop 255, Chongqing General Plastics Factory, Shandong Chemical Factory, Hangzhou Glass Factory, Yangzhou Chemical Factory, Changzhou No.2 Chemical Factory, and Harbin Insulating Material Factory all produced and sold phenolic molding compounds on a large scale.
The application areas of phenolic molding compounds are mainly in aerospace, military equipment, chemical corrosion protection, and electromechanical products.
In summary, China not only has a long history and significant achievements in developing phenolic molding compounds, but they also possess characteristics unmatched by SMC/BMC in terms of light weight, high strength, heat resistance, corrosion resistance, and flame retardancy/fire resistance, leading to very wide application areas. It is an ancient yet still promising molding compound with development potential.
II. Application of SMC/BMC
The development of SMC/BMC in China has a history of over thirty years. BMC began development in 1967, while SMC development started in 1975. Subsequently, China's SMC/BMC spent over ten years in difficult technical exploration, raw material modification, equipment improvement, and market development. During the period 1976-1986, entirely domestic raw materials not specialized for SMC/BMC were used, and production on domestic equipment was constrained by multiple factors, leading to very slow development of SMC/BMC. By 1986, the cumulative national output of BMC was still less than 100 tons. The national total output of SMC by 1986 was only 400 tons (During the ten years 1976-1986, only Beijing 251 Factory had a single self-designed and manufactured 36-inch unit in operation. Cumulative SMC output before 1983 was only 300 tons, reaching 400 tons in 1986). By 1987, the national total SMC output was 1,000 tons, mainly produced by Beijing 251 Factory, Yancheng FRP Factory, and Chengdu Glider Factory. From the end of 1985 to 1990, China successively introduced ten SMC (some including BMC) production lines and related technologies, located in nine provinces/cities: Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Jilin, Harbin, Mianyang, Laizhou, and Wujin. During this period, small SMC production lines (SMC width 600mm, annual capacity about 600T) designed and manufactured domestically also developed rapidly, with eleven lines being installed or operational. Among these 21 SMC lines, only eleven were operational before 1990 (6 imported lines, 5 domestic lines). China's SMC/BMC output also saw some growth during this period. According to incomplete statistics: 1988: 1523.3? / 66.6 tons (SMC/BMC likely); 1989: 2008 / 128.3 tons; 1990: 2034.7 / 121.8 tons; 1991: 3250 / 188 tons. (Note: Original figures ambiguous, likely SMC/BMC tons respectively).
Simultaneously, to meet the needs of SMC/BMC development, production equipment and technology for related raw materials were also introduced from abroad, forming significant production and supply capacity. Factories like Beijing 251 Factory, Nanjing Composite Materials General Factory, Yantai Qilu Resin Factory, Harbin Insulating Material Factory, Dongfang Insulating Material Factory, Nanjing Jinling Petrochemical (Jinling BASF), Qinhuangdao Yaohua Glass Factory, and Tianjin Synthetic Material Factory introduced production equipment or technology for different types of SMC/BMC specialized resins. Changzhou Huari New Materials Co. also began supplying SMC/BMC specialized resins to the market from 1996. Regarding SMC specialized glass fiber, Chongqing Glass Fiber Factory took the lead domestically in introducing and supplying SMC/BMC specialized glass fiber. Others like Shanghai Yaohua, Dongguan Southern Glass Fiber, and Zhuhai Glass Fiber also gradually provided SMC/BMC glass fiber to the market. By the mid-1990s, Taishan Fiberglass Inc., China Jushi Group, and Danyang Glass Fiber Factory also formed large-scale supply capacity for SMC/BMC specialized glass fiber.
During the 1990s, the decade before 2000, SMC/BMC production enterprises and related raw material importers were focused on digesting and absorbing the introduced technology and production equipment. They also continuously explored raw material localization, improved product quality, and increased market development efforts. On the other hand, domestic enterprises continued to introduce SMC production lines, including three lines in Chongqing Rongchang, Changsha, and Shiyan. During 2000-2004, five more SMC lines were introduced in Chongqing, Changzhou, and Jiangyin. To date, the number of imported SMC lines in China has reached eighteen. Domestic lines also number over thirty.
Through the efforts of SMC/BMC enterprises and the active support of supporting raw material manufacturers, the product quality and stability of the SMC/BMC industry have made significant progress. By the 21st century, its applications also developed rapidly. By the end of 2004, the national annual output of SMC/BMC had reached over 60,000 tons. According to incomplete statistics, the number of enterprises increased from 21 in 1991 to about 105 in 2004. Among them, 48 specialize in SMC production/molding, 49 specialize in BMC production/molding, and another 8 enterprises engage in both SMC and BMC production/molding. In recent years, many enterprises have an annual SMC output of over 1,000 tons, with several enterprises reaching 3,000-4,000 tons. Among BMC enterprises, 7-8 have an annual output of over 2,000 tons, with several enterprises exceeding 4,000 tons annually. It is said that one SMC/BMC enterprise in Zhejiang has reached an annual output of 10,000 tons. In China, the total output of SMC and BMC is almost split equally, with BMC output possibly slightly higher than SMC. This is closely related to China's national conditions and differs from the situation abroad.
The main application areas for SMC/BMC in China are electrical, transportation, and construction. Table 4 shows examples of BMC applications. Table 5 shows examples of SMC applications.
(Note: Original tables 4 & 5 not provided in text)
III. International SMC/BMC Trends and Applications
1. FRP/CM Trends
According to a European JEC survey, the global composites industry currently employs 400-450 thousand people. Its related output value reaches 41.5 billion Euros. Four industrial application areas account for about 70% of the total output value: automotive industry 23%; construction and public works 21%; aerospace industry 17%; sports and related fields 11%.
The composites industry is expected to have a global production growth rate of 4-5% per year between 2003-2008, with a value growth rate of 2-3% per year. During this period, the fastest growth areas are: wind energy (20% growth); aerospace (9% growth); automotive industry (7% growth); shipbuilding (7% growth - Original said 70%, likely typo, corrected to 7% based on context).
By region, the world composite market value is divided: North America 40%, Europe 35%, Asia-Pacific region 22%, and the rest of the world 3%. The regions with faster growth in composite part production during 2003-2008 are China and India, with expected growth rates of 9.5% and 15% respectively, while growth rates in Europe and North America are around 4%.
Tables 6 to 9 show the FRP/SMC/BMC market situation in Europe, the USA, Japan, and China respectively.
*(Note: Original tables 6-9 not provided)*
2. SMC/BMC Trends
Taking 2001 as an example, the total global output of SMC/BMC was about 758,000 tons, of which SMC was 570,000 tons and BMC was 248,000 tons (*Note: Sum seems off, 570k + 248k = 818k, not 758k. Possibly figures are approximate or misstated*). By region: The North Atlantic Free Trade Area (NAFTA - primarily USA), output was 295,000 tons (38.9%), of which SMC was 175,000 tons and BMC was 120,000 tons. Europe, output was 269,000 tons (35.3%), of which SMC was 177,000 tons and BMC was 92,000 tons. Asia-Pacific region, output was 194,000 tons (25.6%), of which SMC was 158,000 tons and BMC was 36,000 tons.
By application: Of the total global SMC/BMC output of 758,000 tons in that year, automotive applications accounted for 300,000 tons (39.6%); electrical engineering applications 160,000 tons (21.1%); construction applications (excluding sanitary ware) 144,000 tons (19.0%). These three areas thus constitute about 80% of SMC/BMC applications, making them the three major application fields. The focus within these three areas differs by region:
In NAFTA, automotive applications (including cars and trucks) account for 60% (~177,000 tons); construction applications 25% (~73,800 tons); electrical engineering applications only 10% (~29,500 tons).
In Europe, automotive applications account for 43% (~115,000 tons); electrical engineering applications are comparable at 40% (~107,600 tons); while construction applications account for only 13% (~35,000 tons).
In the Asia-Pacific region, SMC/BMC applications differ significantly from the above two regions. Construction applications (excluding sanitary ware) account for 18.0%; electrical engineering 12%; automotive applications only 4%. The largest application areas are sanitary ware (31%, ~60,000 tons) and construction water tanks (27%, ~52,400 tons - Figure calculated from 27% of 194k ≈ 52.4k). These two items alone account for 58% of the total SMC/BMC output in the Asia-Pacific region. This is closely related to the conditions in the region, particularly Japan and China.
Tables 10 and 11 list the world's top ten and Europe's top ten SMC/BMC manufacturers. Tables 12 to 14 summarize the world's and Europe's top ten automakers and the application of SMC/BMC parts in European trucks.
*(Note: Original tables 10-14 not provided)*
Among the world's top ten SMC/BMC producers, 6 are American; 3 European; and only 1 Asian. Their total output is 352,000 tons, accounting for 46.4% of the world's total SMC/BMC output that year. Among Europe's top ten, their SMC/BMC output accounts for 77% of Europe's total output, and 27.4% of the world output, totaling 208,000 tons. Table 12 indicates that the usage of SMC/BMC parts in trucks is significantly greater than in cars. Among the models produced by the top ten US automakers, 128 models used 481 types of SMC/BMC parts. Calculating based only on the seven truck manufacturers, the average usage of SMC/BMC per model is as high as 80kg. Table 14 specifically lists the application of SMC in trucks by European automakers. For the trucks produced by six automakers, the average SMC usage per truck is over 40 kg, with个别厂商 (some manufacturers) averaging as high as 100 kg per vehicle.个别车型 (Some models) have SMC usage up to 180kg.
The widespread use of SMC/BMC in the automotive field across countries is mainly due to the following advantages:
(1) High degree of design freedom;
(2) Can reduce vehicle weight;
(3) High part integration capability, significantly reducing processes;
(4) Saves investment;
(5) Good dent resistance;
(6) Transparent to radio waves, allowing hidden integrated antennas;
(7) SMC/BMC parts can be painted online, have good dimensional stability, good mechanical properties at high temperature, excellent corrosion resistance, and can achieve Class A surfaces.
3. SMC/BMC Application Examples.
Typical applications of SMC/BMC are shown in Figures 1-13.
(Note: Original figures not provided)
IV. Suggestions for Industry Development
Looking at the development overview of SMC/BMC molding compounds at home and abroad, although China's SMC/BMC industry has made significant progress through its own efforts over decades, especially with rapid growth in recent years, the gap compared to foreign countries is evident. Although China's annual SMC/BMC output has reached 60,000 tons, it is still less than 1/10 of the world's total output. In Asia, it is only 1/3 of Japan's corresponding output. Among SMC/BMC manufacturers, not a single Chinese enterprise ranks among the world's top ten. This is extremely disproportionate for a populous economic powerhouse. Conversely, it also indicates that China's SMC/BMC still has huge development potential. To accelerate the development of China's SMC/BMC industry, considering the current state of the industry, the following suggestions are proposed:
Strengthen market development efforts. To this end:
(1) Conduct more technical exchange activities with customers and potential customers to enhance their understanding and knowledge of SMC/BMC materials.
(2) Strengthen industry self-discipline, use high-quality raw materials and auxiliary materials. Prohibit the use of inferior raw materials, continuously improve product quality, and reduce negative impacts.
(3) Leverage strengths and avoid weaknesses in market development, which helps remain invincible in competition with other materials.
Strengthen research on SMC/BMC basic technology.
For a long time, the domestic SMC/BMC industry has not paid much attention to basic technology research. This often affects market development. Strengthening basic technology research can lead to qualitative leaps in product quality and improve product quality stability. By improving material characteristics and processes to meet new and higher requirements from different fields, the market breadth can be further expanded. Simultaneously, strengthen cooperation with related raw and auxiliary material manufacturers to continuously improve their quality and increase material varieties to meet the development needs of the SMC/BMC industry.Strengthen communication, collaboration, and guidance within the industry.
Strengthen cooperation and exchange in market development. On one hand, advocate "innovation" and oppose "copying". Rampant "copying" within the industry stifles its vitality. The SMC/BMC industry's development history is full of "copying", from equipment like "SMC units" to products like "seats", "composite water tanks", "meter boxes", etc. On the other hand, oppose suicidal competition. Originally, products in the composites industry should be high value-added. However, due to vicious competition and price undercutting among peers, the result is maintaining existing markets and enterprise survival at the cost of sacrificing product quality. The result of this vicious cycle not only ruins the enterprises themselves but also seriously affects the industry's development.Implement sustainable development strategies and actively develop SMC/BMC recycling.
Europe, America, Japan, and other countries have done a lot of work and established many regulations in this area, while our work has only just begun.