The humanoid robot industry is moving from the laboratory to the eve of mass production, and the breakthrough progress in embodied large models and scenario based applications is reshaping the underlying demand logic of metal materials. When the production countdown of Tesla Optimus resonates with the technological breakthroughs of domestic manufacturers, the strategic value of base metals such as aluminum and copper in lightweight and high conductivity scenarios is re priced, and an AI driven metal demand revolution has quietly begun.
Technological breakthroughs, catalytic material upgrades
The extreme material requirements of humanoid robots are opening up the high-end application space of aluminum and copper. Taking Tesla Optimus as an example, its joint actuator adopts aluminum alloy integrated die-casting technology, which reduces weight by 40% compared to traditional steel components, while improving conductivity efficiency through copper based composite materials. The “Dragon Leap” motion model released by Guodi Center requires the robot joints to complete high-precision movements within 0.1 seconds, which promotes the upgrade of harmonic reducer gears to titanium aluminum alloy, and the aluminum consumption of a single robot exceeds 8kg. The case of Zhuhai Guanyu entering the SAIC Volkswagen supply chain shows that the demand for 12V lithium battery aluminum shells has surged, pushing the cost of battery pack aluminum to 25%, an increase of 12 percentage points compared to traditional fuel vehicles.
Scenario landing reconstruction demand curve
The rigid demand for logistics and medical scenarios is opening up a second growth curve. According to iterative data from Amazon’s logistics robot Kiva, the third-generation product with a magnesium aluminum alloy frame can increase its load capacity to 300kg, extend its range by 20%, and use up to 18kg of aluminum per unit. In the field of medical exoskeleton robots, Cyberdyne’s HAL system in Japan uses carbon fiber reinforced aluminum based composite materials to increase joint drive efficiency to 92%, driving an annual increase of 35% in the medical aluminum market size. More noteworthy is the explosive demand for copper materials in sub tracks such as robotic dogs and dexterous hands. The Boston Dynamics Atlas dexterous hand uses silver plated copper wire bundles, with a single guidance electrical capacity of up to 120A/mm ², which is three times higher than traditional solutions.
Investment Logic under Supply Chain Restructuring
Aluminum processing enterprises are accelerating their transformation towards precision manufacturing. The new energy vehicle aluminum material project invested 1.2 billion yuan by Mingtai Aluminum Industry has been put into operation. Its robot specific 6061-T6 aluminum material has a tensile strength of 310MPa and a yield rate of over 98%. Tongling Nonferrous has made a breakthrough through 800V high-voltage cable technology, reducing the copper loss of robot motor windings to 0.5%. The product has entered the supply chain of Ubiquitous. According to secondary market data, the PE (TTM) of the A-share aluminum processing sector has recovered from 25 times to 32 times, and the order scheduling cycle of copper foil company Nord Group has been extended to 6 months, confirming the turning point of demand.
Opportunities for excess returns in technological iteration
The synergistic innovation of lightweight and conductivity has given rise to opportunities for new materials. The Tesla humanoid robot uses graphene reinforced aluminum based composite material, with a density reduced to 2.6g/cm ³ and a thermal conductivity increased to 210W/m · K. If this technology route is put into mass production, the aluminum consumption of a single robot will be further reduced by 15%. The nanocrystalline copper wire developed by copper processing leader Hailiang Co., Ltd. has a resistivity reduced to 1.2 μ Ω· cm and has been applied to the joint encoder of Yushu Technology H1 robot, with a cost reduction of 28% compared to traditional solutions. These technological breakthroughs are rewriting the valuation system of metal materials.
Risk Warning and Strategic Suggestions
In the short term, we need to be vigilant about the risks of technological route changes, such as Tesla shifting to magnesium alloy die-casting, which may impact aluminum demand. It is recommended to focus on two main lines: first, aluminum processing leaders with technical barriers (such as Asia Pacific Technology and Nanshan Aluminum Industry), and second, copper material enterprises that enter the robot supply chain (such as Jiangxi Copper Industry and Jingda Co., Ltd.). In the medium to long term, if humanoid robots achieve mass production of millions of units, it will drive an increase in aluminum demand of over 2 million tons and copper demand of over 500000 tons, equivalent to creating a new market for materials for new energy vehicles.
Conclusion: Anchoring the Material Revolution Dividend in Change
When AI endows robots with “humanoid” intelligence, metal materials are undergoing a qualitative change from “structural support” to “functional carriers”. In this technology driven industrial revolution, the strategic position of basic metals such as aluminum and copper has been redefined. The leading enterprises that break through technological barriers and bind to core scenarios will eventually share the largest cake in the trillion dollar robotics industry.
Post time: Jun-05-2025