High-End Screw & Barrel Tech Boosts Localization

Against the backdrop of global industrial upgrading and domestic manufacturing transformation, high-end screw and barrel technologies are emerging as a core driver of localization in the precision component sector. Through continuous breakthroughs in material science, process innovation and intelligent manufacturing, Chinese enterprises have broken the long-term monopoly of international brands in key segments, realizing independent control of core components and building a competitive industrial ecosystem. This wave of localization is not only reshaping the domestic industrial pattern but also enhancing the global voice of "Made in China" in the field of plastic machinery core parts.

Policy Guidance and Market Demand Spur Localization Drive

National industrial policies have laid a solid institutional foundation for the localization of high-end screw and barrel technologies. Policies such as the <Machinery Industry Revitalization Outline> and the <14th Five-Year Plan for Intelligent Manufacturing Development> have explicitly listed high-precision screws and barrels as key breakthrough areas in the "Industrial Six Foundations" project, providing financial support and policy inclinations for enterprise R&D and technological upgrading. The "equipment replacement" policy launched in recent years has further stimulated market demand for high-performance localized components, accelerating the iteration of domestic products.

Market demand from downstream industries has become a strong engine for localization. With the rapid development of new energy vehicles, high-end medical devices and biodegradable materials, the demand for high-precision, wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant screw and barrel systems has surged. Data shows that the localization rate of medium and high-end screw and barrel products in China has jumped from less than 10% a decade ago to over 40% in 2025, and the market size of the domestic screw and barrel industry is expected to reach 18.74 billion yuan in 2026, with a year-on-year growth of 9.8%. The continuous expansion of the market has provided a broad space for the industrialization of localized high-end technologies.

Technological Breakthroughs Build Core Competitiveness of Local Products

Local enterprises have achieved major breakthroughs in core technologies through persistent R&D investment, breaking the technological barriers of international brands. Zhejiang Huaye Plastic Machinery Co., Ltd., a leading enterprise in the industry and a "Little Giant" enterprise recognized by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, has set a benchmark for localization with innovative technologies. The company's independently developed PTA "double-layer stacking" process combined with tungsten carbide alloy strengthening technology has significantly improved product wear resistance. The 270mm large-diameter screw developed for Yizhimi's 8500-ton super-large precision injection molding equipment can withstand a pressure of 450 MPa, 50% higher than ordinary products, realizing independent control of core components for super-large injection molding machines in China.

Material and process innovation have become the key to enhancing product performance. Local enterprises have widely applied bimetallic composite technology and centrifugal casting technology: the inner surface of the barrel is cast with a tungsten carbide alloy layer, extending the service life of high-end products to more than 6,500 hours, approaching the international benchmark level. Zhejiang Huaye has also mastered vacuum quenching heat treatment technology, ensuring the consistency of the overall hardness of the screw, and its HPT series full-hard single screw products have been recognized by international customers. As of June 2024, the company has accumulated 125 authorized patents, including 15 invention patents, and led the formulation of local standards, establishing discourse power in the industry.

The integration of intelligent manufacturing has further optimized the production efficiency and quality stability of localized products. By deploying MES systems and industrial Internet monitoring platforms, enterprises have improved equipment utilization rate from 58% to over 80%, shortened the order delivery cycle by 35%, and reduced the scrap rate by nearly 70%. This intelligent transformation has enabled local products to compete with international brands in terms of quality consistency and delivery efficiency.

Industrial Cluster Advantages and Global Expansion Accelerate Localization Deepening

The formation of industrial clusters has provided strong support for the localization of high-end technologies. Zhoushan Jintang Town, known as "China's Plastic Machinery Screw Capital", accounts for more than 75% of the country's screw production and export volume. Relying on the industrial chain advantages of the cluster, enterprises such as Zhejiang Huaye have realized large-scale customized production, and their market share in China's plastic machinery screw and barrel products has remained the first since 2020, reaching 12.5% in 2023.

Localized high-end products are not only replacing imports in the domestic market but also actively expanding into the global market. Zhejiang Huaye has established long-term cooperative relations with international top manufacturers such as KraussMaffei, Husky and Engel, and has won honors such as Milacron's "Most Valuable Partner in 5 Years", demonstrating the international recognition of localized technologies. In the field of screw air compressors, domestic products have also achieved remarkable results in exports: from 2021 to 2024, the export volume of screw air compressors in China increased at a compound annual growth rate of 21.47%, and the export value increased by 32.5% annually, with the trade surplus expanding to 35.78 billion yuan in 2024.

Challenges and Outlook: Towards High-Quality Localization

Despite remarkable achievements, the localization of high-end screw and barrel technologies still faces challenges such as fluctuations in the supply chain of key alloy materials and bottlenecks in the consistency of high-end products. In the high-end dry oil-free screw market, international brands such as Atlas and Ingersoll Rand still occupy more than 70% of the market share, leaving huge room for domestic substitution.

Industry experts pointed out that the future localization process will focus more on technological innovation and industrial chain integration. It is expected that the market share of domestic high-end screw and barrel products in China will exceed 55% in 2026, and the export growth rate of high-end products will reach 14.1%. Local enterprises will further increase R&D investment in new materials and intelligent technologies, accelerate the construction of a global service system, and promote the localization of high-end screw and barrel technologies from "following" to "running side by side" and even "leading" in some segments.