From "Manufacturing" to "Smart Manufacturing": An Industrial Leap

"In the wave of smart manufacturing, the plastics and rubber industry is undergoing a profound transformation. The deep integration of precision and digital technologies is reshaping production models and strengthening industry competitiveness. Traditional manufacturing has long relied on manual experience, facing challenges such as inconsistent quality and high energy consumption. Today, the widespread adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and artificial intelligence (AI) is helping companies transition from “manufacturing” to “smart manufacturing.” Digital production lines make processes more predictable, optimized, and adaptive, significantly improving efficiency and product consistency.

Leading manufacturers are equipping their production lines with increasingly intelligent systems. For example, digital twin technology enables virtual testing of process parameters, dramatically reducing the need for trial molds. AI technology continuously optimizes production parameters in real time, ensuring consistent quality while lowering energy consumption. These innovations have allowed precision plastics production to excel across multiple sectors: in automotive, enabling the stable molding of lightweight, complex components; in medical, ensuring sterile and highly precise instrument manufacturing; and in E&E and packaging, meeting demanding aesthetic standards while supporting environmentally friendly materials.

According to Mordor Intelligence, the global market for digital transformation in manufacturing is projected to reach USD 440 billion in 2025 and grow to USD 847 billion by 2030. The industry is rapidly moving toward interconnected, data-driven Industry 4.0 production models. As 5G, 6G, and edge computing technologies mature, digital manufacturing will achieve higher levels of automation and intelligence, unlocking new value opportunities for the plastics and rubber industry and driving sustainable, high-quality growth.

As an industry benchmark, CHINAPLAS continues to lead this transformation. The exhibition serves as a launch platform for innovative technologies, showcasing leading smart solutions from around the world. It also acts as a hub for supply chain connectivity, fostering collaboration between technology and materials suppliers and users, and accelerating the adoption of digital technologies across diverse applications.

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Show Information and Thematic Booklets

MK7S Precision Injection Molding with eDrive™

THE CHEN HSONG GROUP

MK7S is not only a stand-alone device, but also achieves full-chain empowerment through the iChen Smart Factory intelligent factory solution: Process knowledge accumulation: AI mold adjustment masters encrypt and store the enterprise's exclusive process parameters in the cloud, reducing the debugging time of new production lines by 70%. Predictive maintenance: Through vibration sensors and oil monitoring systems, the wear of the clamping mechanism is warned in advance, reducing unplanned downtime by 40%. Sustainable development: Renewable energy feedback technology recovers over 1.2 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually in automotive parts factories, equivalent to reducing 96 tons of CO₂ emissions.

ICHOR Blood Collection Tube Injection Molding System

HUSKY INJECTION MOLDING SYSTEMS (SHANGHAI) LTD.

As the only fully integrated blood collection tube (BCT) injection molding solution in market, with work cell integrating IMM, hot runner, controller, cold half and auxiliary, Husky’s ICHOR system can secure a cycle time of less than 6 seconds (for 13*100 tube) and achieve an overall efficiency up to 97%. Built based on industry proven PET platform and backed by Advantage+Elite services, ICHOR system delivers higher performance, reduces manufacturing risks and accelerates time to market for BCT products.

Cross-brand AI intelligent plastic molding solutions / AI smart molding system

SHANGHAI MATSUI MACHINERY CO., LTD.

The intelligent cloud injection molding solution is like a virtual master, improving the talent gap of the factory and assisting the systematization of on-site manufacturing experience, reducing the threshold of injection molding adjustment, and effectively reducing the cost of trial mold through the continuous use of feedback and system AI iterative updates on the site.

TwinCAT 3 Plastic Framework Solution

BECKHOFF AUTOMATION COMPANY LTD.

With the TwinCAT 3 Plastic Framework, we offer a modular software solution for the control of plastics machines that minimizes development effort and maintains the open nature of Beckhoff architecture. The TwinCAT 3 Plastic Framework brings together our many years of expertise in plastics, seamlessly integrating important industry-specific functions into the established TwinCAT environment. As a result, plastics machines can be programmed, visualized, and controlled on a single platform.Integrated, application-specific templates and sample code for various plastics applications facilitate project planning and programming, and are made available free of charge via the TwinCAT 3 Plastic Application. Of course, existing templates can also be used and your own process expertise can be integrated.

Dahua 2.0 High Speed Slitter / High Speed Automatic Slitter / Film Slitter / Secondary Slitter

HANGZHOU DAHUA INDUSTRY CONTROL TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.

As a new product of Dahua for anti-epidemic, the version 2.0 high speed slitter is mainly designed to reduce the dependence on machine operators. The machine is cost effective and also can effectively reduce the influence caused by the epidemic on installation, commission, service and other after-sales work. 2.0 high speed slitter includes automatic knife position and automatic station position function. It is widely used in packaging, new energy, health care, electronics and optics and other fields. The machine is arranged in a binary structure and very simple e material, thickness and hardness requirements. Last but not least, the optimized roller arrangement ensures excellent finished roll quality.

2025 model intelligent Rotogravure printing machine

SHAANXI BEIREN PRINTING MACHINERY CO., LTD.

The highest speed of ShaanxiBeiren 2025 model intelligent Rotogravure printing machine is 450m/min, which has excellent printing performance. The human-machine engineering and safety engineering of the equipment have been comprehensively upgraded, and new energy management and health management systems have been added to adapt to the high-speed printing of ink and water and the high-speed printing of special stretchable materials. It has the following characteristics: ① Full-automatic overprinting can save 20% of the time and reduce the loss by 60%. ② The overprinting accuracy is ±0.05mm. There is zero loss during acceleration, deceleration and overprinting, and the loss during cutting and material changing is less than 10 meters. ③ The ink will not splash, saving about 60% of the solvent. ④ Intelligent operation, energy conservation and emission reduction, saving more than 50% of the energy consumption. ⑤ The equipment reduces the dependence on people and lowers the labor cost. ⑥ The maximum exhaust air volume of the equipment is less than 15,000m³/h, effectively improving the workshop environment and saving more than 20% of energy. ⑦ It can meet the high-speed printing of 22μm ultra-thin PE. ⑧ During high-speed printing at 450m/min, the loss of waste from cutting is less than 10 meters, and the yield rate is greatly improved.

moldMIND

SYNVENTIVE MOLDING SOLUTIONS

Barnes' moldMIND, the "digital cockpit" of the injection mold, is a recording system that documents relevant process data and events of an injection mold in real-time throughout the entire life cycle of the mold. The intelligent monitoring system detects problems quickly to minimize downtime. The data can be accessed directly on the device or in the Barnes Connectia Cloud.

Manufacturing Execution System RMES

BEIJING RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF AUTOMATION FOR MACHINERY INDUSTRY

Automatic control and manufacturing execution systems (RMES) are crucial foundations for the automation, informatization, and intelligentization of manufacturing, providing comprehensive support for advancing intelligent manufacturing and digital transformation. BAIZI applies computer and network technologies, programmable control technologies, fieldbus technologies, and information management technologies to the control, monitoring, and management of various production lines. BAIZI has developed and manufactured a variety of automated production lines and RMES systems, providing optimal integrated equipment and intelligent manufacturing solutions to over 100 manufacturing companies across various industries, including vehicle manufacturing, engines, spare parts, power equipment, aerospace, new energy, and new materials.

Polymerize Labs

POLYMERIZE PTE LTD

Polymerize Labs is a cloud-based material informatics platform that provides AI-recommended formulations based on desired properties of high performing materials. It expedites formulation development by 3x while saving more than 40% on R&D costs, and comes with over 35 proprietary domain-guided AI models. Starting with as little as 25 data points, Polymerize Labs can provide desired results with 95% accuracy. The most popular 2 features are Explainable AI and PolyGPT. Explainable AI was built by data scientists and material science experts, and provides quantifiable, visible insights into the relationships between formulations and properties instead of relying on blackbox models. This allows R&D researchers to analyse and validate given relationships with supporting research before approving the AI models for further use. PolyGPT uses Large Language Models (LLM) to enable quick analysis of technical documents, increasing the efficiency of the R&D process for R&D researchers.

sensXPERT Insight

NETZSCH-GERAETEBAU GMBH

sensXPERT Insight is an end-to-end, integrated Equipment-as-a-Service solution for the plastics manufacturing industry. The state-of-the-art technology combines advanced measuring hardware and material science with artificial intelligence to characterize material behavior in sync with machine and cavity, driving process efficiency by evaluating and controlling all critical influencing factors. The solution supports all major composite, elastomer and thermoplastic materials, recycled materials, and associated processing techniques. Companies benefit from process transparency and digital component mapping. Economically, the solution achieves to decrease of up to 50% of existing scrap, 23% in energy savings and 30% cycle time reduction.

From "Manufacturing" to "Smart Manufacturing": An Industrial Leap