On August 14, Celanese Corporation, a global specialty materials and chemical company and a leading supplier of high performance engineering plastics, and VIGOR Precision Ltd., a global leader in precision plastic gears and components manufacturing, signed a strategic partnership agreement to advance the development and commercialization of lightweight plastic joint solutions for humanoid robots.

Todd Elliott (left), Senior Vice President of Engineered Materials at Celanese, and Hoi-sang Chan, CEO of VIGOR, at the strategic partnership signing ceremony at Celanese Shanghai Commercial and Technology Center.

Representatives of Celanese and VIGOR.

Based on the agreement, Celanese is to provide VIGOR with targeted high-performance plastic materials and comprehensive technical support, advancing the independent control and industrialization of materials for high-end core components in robotic applications.

The partnership combines Celanese’s high-performance plastic materials with VIGOR’s expertise in precision plastic power transmission.

“Through this partnership, we can bring Celanese materials science, application development and local technical capabilities together with VIGOR’s precision gear design and manufacturing expertise to help enable the next generation of robotic motion systems,” said Todd Elliott, Senior Vice President, Celanese Engineered Materials.

Focus on core technology: Stringent metrics define next-generation material standards

Humanoid robot joints place extreme demands on the overall performance of materials during high-speed starts and stops, high-frequency reciprocating motion, and complex loading conditions.

However, the weight of traditional metal joint modules severely limits operational endurance, dynamic response speed, and load-bearing capabilities of humanoid robots.

In this strategic collaboration, VIGOR has set clear core R&D targets for next-generation humanoid robot plastic joints: by introducing high-performance plastics to replace traditional metals, the joint modules will achieve a weight reduction of over 30%, while ensuring transmission precision and long-term reliability.

The partnership is committed to focusing on overcoming the core technical challenges related to high strength and high rigidity, exceptional temperature resistance and thermal stability, precision transmission and self-lubricating properties, and extreme lightweighting and dimensional accuracy.

Deep integration: End-to-end support from material selection to mass production

The agreement also represents deep technical integration across the entire industrial value chain. Celanese has agreed to provide customized material solutions aligned with VIGOR’s technical specifications, supporting targeted material commercialization, full lifecycle validation and consistent performance at mass production scale.

“Today’s partnership marks a crucial step in infusing ‘material genetics’ into ‘precision manufacturing.’ We look forward to working closely together to achieve the precise formulation of high-performance materials for robotic joints, thereby clearing the way for the large-scale deployment of humanoid robots,” stated Hoi-sang Chan, CEO of VIGOR.

The strategic partnership between VIGOR and Celanese marks a solid step forward in lightweighting core components for humanoid robots by replacing steel with high-performance plastic.

Moving forward, the two companies intend to continue to deepen their collaborative innovation and accelerate the commercialization of high-performance plastic joint solutions for industrial, commercial and specialized service robotics applications.