PVB film is mainly used in the BIPV field. Overseas companies dominate the global market.
Polyvinyl butyral film, also known as PVB film and PVB film, is a plastic resin film produced from PVB resin plus plasticizer. Compared with EVA film, PVB film has the advantages of aging resistance, good impact resistance, high safety, and long service life. It is widely used in photovoltaic modules, architectural laminated glass, soundproof glass, automotive laminated glass, bulletproof glass and other fields. .
PVB resin, also known as polyvinyl butyral, is the main raw material of PVB film. PVB resin is a highly elastic and tough resin that is widely used in the fields of films, coatings and adhesives. In the early stages of development of the PVB resin industry, my country’s PVB resin was highly dependent on imports due to factors such as high technical barriers and high production costs. In recent years, with the improvement of the technical level of local enterprises, the output and quality of PVB resin in my country have improved, which provides favorable conditions for the development of the PVB film industry.
The field of photovoltaic modules is the largest demand side for PVB film. Driven by positive factors such as national policy support, the prosperity of my country’s building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) industry continues to increase. According to statistics from the China Photovoltaic Industry Association, my country’s BIPV installed capacity will reach 709MW in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 6.2%. PVB film is used as the packaging material of BIPV photovoltaic modules to increase their service life. With the rapid development of downstream industries, my country’s PVB film market demand is increasingly strong. According to the “2023-2028 China polyvinyl butyral film (PVB film) industry market in-depth research and development prospect forecast report released by the Industrial Research Center” shows that the demand for PVB film in my country’s BIPV field will reach 39,000 tons in 2022.
The PVB film industry has high technical barriers, and the global market is dominated by countries such as Europe, the United States and Japan. Sekisui Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. of Japan, Kuraray Co., Ltd. of Japan, Solokot Glass Functional Film Company of the United States, and DuPont of the United States are the world’s leading PVB film companies. In terms of the local market, my country’s PVB film companies mainly produce mid- to low-end products, while high-end products rely on imports. Wanwei High-tech, Qingdao Zhihui New Materials, Foster, Haiyou New Materials, Shenzhen Gas, etc. are the main manufacturers of PVB film in my country.
Wanwei High-tech is a representative enterprise of PVB film in my country. The company focuses on the research and development, production and sales of new materials, chemicals, building materials and other products. According to the financial report of Wanwei High-tech Enterprise, the company achieved revenue of 9.94 billion yuan in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 21.3%. At present, Wanwei High-tech is actively promoting the PVB film project with an annual output of 20,000 tons.
Industry analysts said that PVB film has the characteristics of aging resistance and good impact resistance, and has broad application prospects in many fields. In the future, with the gradual release of market demand, the prosperity of my country’s PVB film industry will further increase. However, currently, due to factors such as high technical barriers, my country’s high-end PVB film market is dominated by overseas companies. In the future, as the level of technological innovation of local enterprises increases, my country’s PVB film industry will gradually develop in a high-end direction.