According to the Zhitong Finance APP, Soochow Securities released a research report stating that material lightweighting is the current mainstream path. Lightweighting can address several major pain points in the humanoid robot industry—endurance, heat dissipation, substandard component performance, and insufficient flexibility. For humanoid robots to achieve good commercialization, materials should be secondary, while applications should be prioritized. The firm expects materials such as magnesium alloy, PEEK, and PA nylon to be favored due to their excellent characteristics.
Recommended targets for lightweight applications: KDL (002850.SZ), recommended to pay attention to: SHANGHAI HAJIME ADVANCED MATERIAL TECHNOLOGY (301000.SZ), Hengbo Co., Ltd. (301225.SZ). For PEEK, recommended to pay attention to: Zhongyan Co., Ltd. (688716.SH), Xinhang New Materials (301076.SZ), Zhongxin Fluorine Materials (002915.SZ). For PA nylon, recommended to pay attention to: Nanshan Zhishang (300918.SZ). Recommended target for magnesium alloy: Xusheng Group (603305.SH), recommended to pay attention to: Baowu Magnesium Industry (002182.SZ).
<h2>The main points of Soochow Securities are as follows:</h2>
Lightweighting is a prerequisite for the commercialization of humanoid robots. Lightweighting can solve several major pain points in the humanoid robot industry—endurance, heat dissipation, substandard component performance, and insufficient flexibility. Therefore, mainstream manufacturers such as Tesla and UBTECH are making efforts in this area. From a path perspective, it is mainly divided into structural lightweighting (achieving &#34;zero-cost&#34; lightweighting through parameter optimization/topological optimization/form optimization/integration) and material lightweighting (light metals, engineering plastics, etc.). As the path to lightweighting has just begun, the design of structures based on materials is still in its early stages. Structural lightweighting is progressing slowly due to factors such as the technical path not converging and the need for companies to enhance their cross-border capabilities. Material lightweighting is the current mainstream path.
Engineering Plastics—PEEK: The pinnacle of engineering plastics. PEEK material is at the top of the engineering plastics pyramid, with excellent performance, mechanical properties, high heat resistance, corrosion resistance, and superior processing characteristics. It is mainly used in aerospace, automotive, and electronics fields. In 2024, the price of PEEK reached approximately 300,000 yuan/ton, with fluoroketone as the main source of raw materials (accounting for 50% of costs), priced at 120,000 yuan/ton. This is mainly due to the high barriers created by the processes and capacities of fluoroketone and PEEK. The balance of core indicators such as PEEK's melt index, viscosity, and crystallinity, as well as further modification and optimization of performance, is a lengthy process with many variables that are difficult to control. On the demand side, the global/China PEEK market space in 2024 is estimated to be 6.1 billion/1.9 billion yuan, expected to reach 8.5 billion/2.8 billion yuan by 2027, with CAGRs of 11%/13%, respectively. On the supply side, in 2021, the three major overseas giants (Victrex, Solvay, Evonik) had a combined market share of 86%, while Zhongyan Co., Ltd. only had 8%.
Metal Materials—Magnesium Alloy: Mature applications, economic benefits highlighted. Magnesium alloy is a high-quality lightweight alloy with advantages such as high specific strength, good ductility, and strong electromagnetic interference resistance, and it has been maturely applied in automotive lightweighting. In terms of price, as of May, magnesium prices were at a low level, with a magnesium-aluminum price ratio of only 0.87 (price ratio = 1.29, magnesium and aluminum costs are basically the same), achieving cost reduction while lightweighting. On the application side, Baowu Magnesium Industry and Estun jointly launched the magnesium alloy industrial robot &#34;ER4-550-MI,&#34; achieving an 11% weight reduction, a 10% reduction in energy consumption, and a 5% increase in cycle time
At the same time, there have been improvements in shock absorption, electromagnetic shielding, and heat dissipation, while the energy consumption reduction of magnesium alloys in humanoid robots is expected to be even greater, with applications in joints, shells, and other components anticipated.
Engineering Plastics - Nylon PA: Excellent Flexibility, Mature Applications. PA6 and PA66 are engineering plastics with excellent impact resistance and flexibility, with mature and stable demand. The CAGR from 2018 to 2023 is less than 5%. The market for PA6 is fragmented, with a CR4 of less than 25% in 2022, while PA66 is more concentrated, with a CR3 (Shenma Co., Ltd., Invista, Huafeng Group) reaching 75%. On the application side, PA has been widely and maturely applied in automotive engines, fuel supply systems, electrical systems, and chassis systems, while carbon fiber reinforcement has been used in industrial robot harmonic reducer rigid wheels and seventh-axis drive systems.
Humanoid Robot Lightweighting: Material is Secondary, Application is Key. In the overall weight distribution of the machine, the joint module accounts for a large proportion (about 40%), followed by structural components (about 30%), and the shell accounts for only 10%. Therefore: 1) Harmonic Reducer: PEEK rigid wheels are the first choice for weight reduction, with leading manufacturers already having patent layouts, and new entrants have released related products (KDL's subsidiary released several PEEK material harmonic reducers in April 2025); 2) Rolling Screw: Using PEEK shows significant weight reduction effects, which can be enhanced through carbon fiber/glass fiber modification, meeting requirements in terms of strength and rigidity, but processing difficulty is high, and both precision and efficiency are hard to guarantee;
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<li>Frameless Motors: The lightweighting path includes material selection/integration/magnetic circuit optimization/manufacturing processes, with the core being magnetic material selection and magnetic circuit design; 4) Shells and Structural Components: Require both rigidity and toughness to provide support and protection, but performance requirements are lower compared to core transmission components. Magnesium alloy processes are mature and cost-effective, making short-term promotion highly feasible. Nylon PA has high strength, flexibility, and corrosion resistance, with long-term potential for volume growth in the consumer market. Currently, 1X Technologies is using braided nylon as the shell. Comprehensive calculations show that in one million humanoid robots (rotary and linear joints), the market space for PPS/modification PEEK/magnesium alloy/modification nylon is 100 million, 20 million, 30 million, and 30 million yuan respectively. Considering market space, competitive landscape, and technical difficulty: PEEK &gt; magnesium alloy &gt; nylon.</li>
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Risk Warning: Humanoid robot sales may fall short of expectations, competition may intensify, and prices may decline

301000

002850

Soochow Securities Co., Ltd. released a research report pointing out that material lightweighting is the key to the commercialization of humanoid robots, which can solve industry pain points such as endurance and heat dissipation. It is expected that materials such as magnesium alloy, PEEK, and PA nylon will be favored. Recommended companies to pay attention to include KDL, SHANGHAI HAJIME ADVANCED MATERIAL TECHNOLOGY, and Hengbo Co., Ltd. Lightweighting can be divided into two paths: structure and materials, with material lightweighting currently being the mainstream. PEEK materials have excellent performance and are widely used in aerospace, automotive, and other fields

Zhitong

SHANGHAI HAJIME ADVANCED MATERIAL TECHNOLOGY

Soochow Securities Co., Ltd.: Material lightweighting breakthrough, optimistic about magnesium alloys, PEEK, and PA nylon leading the transformation of humanoid robots