New-energy vehicles take the lead, and the landscape of industrial mold applications is accelerating its restructuring.

In 2025, China’s industrial mold industry is witnessing breakthroughs on multiple fronts: Demand for molds in the new-energy vehicle sector has surged by 40%, driving the lightweight mold market to surpass 30 billion yuan in size; in the 3C electronics industry, liquid-metal mold technology has achieved a precision breakthrough of 0.01 millimeters, boosting the yield rate of functional folding-screen phone hinges to 99.2%; and in the home appliance industry, the adoption of 3D printing technology has shortened mold development cycles by 80%, increasing the proportion of customized products to 35%. These figures reveal that the mold industry is deepening its penetration from traditional manufacturing into high-value-added sectors.

New-energy vehicles: a super testing ground for mold technology.

Driven by the widespread adoption of 800V high-voltage platforms, integrated die-casting molds have become an industry focal point. A Guangdong-based company has developed nano-coated molds that triple the service life and have successfully been adopted for the production of Tesla’s 4680 battery casings. Data shows that from January to April 2025, China’s exports of new-energy vehicle molds reached US$8.013 billion, with the Southeast Asian market accounting for 35% of this total. Even more noteworthy is the combination of topology optimization algorithms with 3D printing, which enables biomimetic design of mold structures, reducing their weight by 40% while increasing their strength by 50%. This technological advancement has enabled China to boost its share in the global new-energy vehicle mold market from 12% in 2020 to 28% in 2025.

Consumer Electronics: A Microscopic Revolution in Precision Manufacturing

As the penetration rate of foldable smartphones surpasses 15%, liquid-metal mold technology has become a key competitive factor. A company in Dongguan, leveraging the MIM (metal injection molding) process, has managed to control the precision of hinge molds to within ±0.003 mm, driving down the cost of domestically produced foldable smartphones by 30%. In the AR/VR equipment sector, the demand for nanometer-level machining of optical lens molds has sparked a boom in investment in ultra-precision machine tools; in 2025, industry-related equipment procurement is expected to grow by 45% year-on-year. These innovations have enabled China to exceed a 40% global market share in the consumer electronics mold sector; however, high-end photolithography molds still rely heavily on imports.

Home Appliance Manufacturing: A Technological Breakthrough in Personalized Customization

Leading enterprises such as Haier and Midea have leveraged digital twin technology to reduce the development cycle of air-conditioner compressor molds from six months to just 45 days. After a major home appliance giant adopted metal 3D printing technology, the rate of customized molds increased from 5% to 35%, boosting the premium pricing power of its products by 20%. Industry statistics show that in 2025, investment in the intelligent transformation of home appliance molds will grow by 32% year-on-year. However, the mirror-finish precision of injection molds—currently at or below 0.1 μm—still lags behind the internationally advanced level.

Aerospace: The Crucial Battleground for High-End Breakthroughs

The large-scale composite material molds developed in collaboration by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group and aerospace manufacturing enterprises have reduced the weight of aircraft components by 25% and lowered manufacturing costs by 40%. One aerospace company has adopted a five-axis machining center, enabling it to control the geometric tolerances of satellite support molds within 0.005 mm. However, currently, the domestic production rate of high-end aerospace molds remains below 30%, and the issue of relying on imports for high-temperature alloy mold materials urgently needs to be addressed.

Outlook: As the "14th Five-Year Plan for Intelligent Manufacturing Development" is implemented in greater depth, the mold industry will undergo a digital transformation across the entire value chain—from design and production to service. By 2026, the market size is expected to surpass 500 billion yuan, with the adoption rate of AI simulation technology reaching 60%. This will truly usher in a transformative shift from being known as the "mother of industry" to becoming an "intelligent manufacturing engine."