Covestro announced the expansion of its Specialty Films Technical Competence Center in Shanghai, strengthening support for customers across Asia Pacific in applications including smart automotive surfaces, wearable devices and robotics.

The upgraded facility enhances prototyping and simulation capabilities, including expanded Film Insert Molding (FIM) technology for producing components with integrated functional surfaces such as lighting, heating and controls. The new equipment enables processing of larger polycarbonate films, supporting the development of larger components such as automotive front grilles.

The expansion also adds capabilities in flexible printed electronics, allowing the development of circuits on flexible substrates used in applications such as wearable devices and humanoid robots. New equipment supports precise printing of conductive inks and testing of circuit performance in complex three-dimensional forms.

The Shanghai center is part of Covestro’s Asia-Pacific Innovation Center, which integrates R&D capabilities across business units to accelerate collaboration and shorten development timelines.

Covestro said the expansion is intended to strengthen local customer support, accelerate product development and advance next-generation applications in smart surfaces and electronics.

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