Overall, China plastic mold both in quantity, or in the quality, technology and ability have made great progress, but with the development of national economy, the demand of world advanced level photograph is compared, difference still very big. Some large, precision, complex, long-life high-grade plastic mold still need every year to import a large amount of. In the aggregate supply at the same time, some low-grade plastic mold can pile up in excess of requirement, market competition is intense, and some technical content is not too high profile plastic mold also pile up in excess of requirement trend.
 

Join WTO, to the plastic mold industry has brought enormous challenge, also brought more opportunities. As the Chinese plastic mold with in cheap products, product prices have obvious advantages, some even only foreign product price 1 / 5 ~ 1 / 3, after joining the WTO, foreign similar products on the domestic impact is not big, but Chinese low mold exports increased; in high-precision molds, before joining WTO originally mainly rely on imports, after joining WTO, not only for the high-tech products import more convenient, but also make more foreign investment to China and set up factories, has advanced mold technology and management experience, to cultivate the Chinese professional mold talent to play a role inpromoting.

In 2006, China plastic mold the total output value of about about 30000000000 yuan, the export volume of about 5800000000 yuan. According to customs statistics, in 2006 China imported a total of plastic mold of about $1000000000, about 8300000000 yuan.

Therefore, in addition to their own, market sales, in 2006 China plastic mold total demand of about 31300000000 yuan, domestic mold total supply of about 23000000000 yuan, the market satisfaction rate of 73.5%. Imports of plastic mold, the most is the vehicle for supporting a variety of decorative mold, household appliances supporting all kinds of plastic molds, communications and office equipment supporting a variety of injection mold, extrusion mold for matching building materials as well as the electronics industry supporting the various plastic mold. Exports of plastic mold with in cheap product is in the majority. As the Chinese plastic mold with low price, in the international market has strong competitiveness, therefore, to further expand the export prospects for good, in recent years the export year all grow 50% above is a good example of this.

Although in recent years mold exports increased more than the increase in imports, but the increase in the absolute quantity still imports more than exports, the trade deficit is increasing year by year the mold. This situation has been improved in 2006, deficit decreased slightly. Mold trade deficit increased for two main reasons: one is the sustained and rapid development of national economy, especially the automobile industry rapid development brings to the mold exuberant demand, some high-end mold domestic did not produced, had to import; but there are also some mold domestic production, also in the import. With the Chinese current tariff policy and project approval system. Two is to mold export encouragement enough. Now the mold and other mechanical and electrical products, the export tax rebate rate of only 13%, not 17%.

From the market situation, plastic mold production enterprises should focus on the development of the high technology content of the large, precision, complex, long-life mold, and vigorously develop the international market, export development mold. As the Chinese plastic industry, especially the rapid development of engineering plastic, can be predicted, China plastic mold development speed will remain above the mold industry overall development speed, the next few years the growth rate will remain around 20% level.

In recent years, Hong Kong, Taiwan-funded, foreign-funded enterprises in mainland China is developing rapidly, these enterprises in the large number of self-produced and self-used    plastic mold no precise statistics, therefore not included in the above figures.

Plastic mold development level and tendency of the market

In recent years, China plastic mold manufacturing level has been greatly improved. Large plastic mold has been able to produce a single set of weight above 50t injection mold, precision plastic mold precision has reached 2 m, parts of high accuracy small modulus gear mould and achieve high optical requirements of the automobile lamp mould also has production, multiple cavity mold is capable of producing a mold 7800 cavity molding die, high speed mold can produce extrusion speed of 6m / min more than high-speed plastic profile extrusion die and the main profile coextrusion of double cavity, two-color coextrusion, after extrusion, co-extrusion, renewable materials co extrusion and low foam such as steel-plastic coextrusion die. In the means of production, the mold enterprise equipment numerical control rate have been greatly improved, CAD / CAE / CAM technology application has been greatly expanded, speed of processing and RP / RT and other advanced technologies have been more and more, mold standard parts using coverage and mold the commercializing rate are greatly improved, hot runner die ratio has improved greatly. In addition, foreign-funded enterprises to further promote the vigorous development of a plastic mold design and manufacturing standards and improve enterprise management level, some enterprises have achieved information management and digital, but no manufacturing.

After recent years of development, the plastic mold development, innovation and enterprise management and other aspects have shown some new development trends:

( 1) in the mold quality, delivery cycle, price, service four elements, there are more and more users will delivery cycle in the first place. Requirements mold company delivery as soon   as possible, this has become a trend. Enterprises to make every attempt to improve their ability to adapt, improve technical standards, improve the level of equipment, improve the management level and efficiency, shorten the production cycle is an effective means of.

( 2) to raise the capability of development, the development work to push forward, until the intervention to users of the product development to die, even when there is no clear user object before the development, change from passive to active. At present, TV and display shell, the air conditioner casing, motorcycle plastic parts have adopted this method, mobile phone and telephone set mold development has also begun to try. This approach has been broken mold factory can only have a contract, can according to user requirements for the mold design of the passive situation.

( 3) as the mold enterprise design and level of processing, mold manufacturing is from main in the past support fitter skill change to be main support technology. This is not only the means of production transformation, but also the change of means of production and the concept of rose. This trend makes the mold standardization degree to rise ceaselessly, the mold precision is higher and higher, more and more short production cycle, the ratio is lower and lower, and ultimately to promote the mold industry whole level rises ceaselessly.

China's mold industry is now more than 10 state-level high-tech enterprises, about 200 provincial and municipal high-tech enterprises. With this trend line, the main backbone of the production mold from the skilled personnel gradually transformed into technology talented person is the inevitable requirement of. Of course, at present and in a fairly long period of time, skilled personnel is very important, because the mold to completely get rid of the technology after all rely on.

( 4) die and mold production enterprises are to the rapid development of information technology. In the information society, as a high level of modern mould enterprises, only CAD / CAM application has been far from enough. At present, many enterprises have adopted the CAE, CAT, PDM, CAPP, KBE, KBS, RE, CIMS, ERP technology and other advanced manufacturing technology and virtual network technology, these are the informatization performance. To the direction of the development of information technology the trend has become the industry consensus.

( 5) with the progress of human society, the mold is bound to wider areas and higher level development. Now, can grasp the opportunity, to develop new markets, continuously discover new point of growth of mold enterprises and can produce high technology content of mould enterprise business is booming, profit level and worker income is very good.

Therefore, the mold enterprise should grasp this trend, and constantly improve the comprehensive quality and the international competitiveness.

( 6) developed industrial countries of the mold is speeding up the transfer to China, its performance : one is to move, investment is two, three is the procurement. China's mold enterprises should seize the opportunity, to borrow and learn from foreign advanced technology, speed up the development pace.

The main problems

Chinese plastic mold industry and foreign advanced levels, mainly has the following problems.

( 1) development is not balanced, the product is overall the level is low. Although individual enterprise products have reached or close to international advanced level, but on the whole, the accuracy of the die cavity, the surface roughness, the production cycle, life index compared with foreign advanced level still has bigger difference. Include the production and management of enterprises, and the overall level of foreign industry developed country photograph comparing still has more than 10 years gap.

( 2) the backward technology and equipment, organization and coordination ability. Although some enterprises in recent years through technical transformation, the level of process and equipment already advanced, some foreign-funded enterprises and equipment levels are not backward in foreign countries, but most of the technology and equipment is still relatively backward. What is more, the enterprise organization coordinated ability is bad, it is difficult to integrate or to mobilize community resources, thus it is difficult to undertake large projects.

( 3) the majority of enterprises and development ability, innovation ability is obviously insufficient. One is the proportion of technical personnel, low level is not high enough, on the other hand is the research and development investment is little; more important is the idea lags behind, insufficient attention to innovation and development. Mold enterprises not only attaches importance to the mold of the development, but also attach importance to product innovation.

( 4) short-term difficult to alleviate the contradiction between supply and demand. In recent years, domestic plastic mold meet the rate of the domestic market has been less than 74%, in which large, precision, long-life mold meet rate is lower, estimate that less than 60%. At the same time, industrialized countries of the mold is speeding up the transfer to China, more and more international procurement, international market prospects. The market demand, production of development was more difficult to keep up with the demand, the situation will continue for a period of time.

( 5) system and talent problem to still need time. In socialist market economy, competitive industries, especially like die so dependent on special user needs, production industry,state-owned and collective system of ownership of the original system and management mechanism has become increasingly unable to meet. Talented person's quantity and quality could not keep up with the rapid development of the industry.

" Eleven five" period development outlook

In informatization to drive industrialized development today, we should see the result, and the backward, to seize the opportunity, take measures, in the economic globalization trend is accelerating, as soon as possible to improve the plastic mold level, into the international market, China to promote the rapid development of mold industry, there are two aspects should be paid attention to:

One is government policies to promote the development of mould industry plays a very important role. Look from international, national mold industry in the early stages of development have been a government give aid to energetically. On the Chinese actual situation, should reduce the domestic production can not import precision mold production equipment, good to carry out national tariffs on the part of the professional mold factory, preferential policies, through policy guidance role can accelerate the development of the industry and progress.

Two with the development of the market, new plastic materials and diversified molding will certainly continue to develop, so the requirements of the mold is also more and more high.

In order to meet the needs of the market, the future of plastic mold both varieties, structures, properties and processing are bound to have rapidder development, but this development must keep pace with the times. Looking to the future, the following several aspects the development trend is expected to be in the industry has been rapid application and promotion.

  ( 1) super, super precision, long life, high efficiency mould will be developed.

  ( 2) a variety of materials, a variety of colors, multi cavity, forming a variety of methods integration of the mold will be developed.

  ( 3) for a variety of rapid economic mold, especially with the rapid prototyping technique combined with RP / RT technology will be rapid development.

  ( 4) mold design, processing and a variety of management will be digital, information-based direction CAD / CAE / CAM / CAPP and PDM / PLM / ERP will provide intelligent, integrated and networked direction.

  ( 5) a higher speed, higher accuracy, more wisdom of all kinds of mold processing equipment will get further development and popularization and application.

  ( 6) the higher performance and meet the special purpose die new materials will continue to grow, it will produce some special and more advanced processing method.

  ( 7) a variety of mold cavity surface treatment technology, such as coating, repair, such as grinding and polishing process will also continue to develop.

  ( 8) the reverse engineering, concurrent engineering, composite processing and virtual technology will be developed further.

  ( 9) hot runner technology will be rapid development, and the other of gas-assisted injection molding technology and mould also will be development.

  ( 10) die mold standardization will be continuously improved.

  ( 11) in sustainable development and green product is taken seriously increasingly today," green mold" concept has gradually been mentioned schedule to come up. That is, the future mold, from the structural design, material selection, manufacturing process and die repair and scrapped, as well as the recycling and other aspects, will be more and more consideration of its resource conservation, repeated use, environmental protection, and sustainable development of this one trend.

  " Eleven five" period, in the scientific outlook on development guidance, mould enterprises in our country will further deepen reform, kongfu does well the advancement and innovation of science and technology, hold to new-style industrialized road, the speed benefit growth pattern gradually changes to the quality and level of benefit to the track, the mold industry will be the good and rapid development.

  Reprinted from: China Light Industry Mold