As industrial robots evolve toward higher precision, higher speed, and heavier loads, and humanoid robots transition from concept to reality, the importance of brakes, serving as the "safety lock" and "positioning anchor" for robots, has increased exponentially. Whether it is the instant stop-and-go of collaborative robots or the joint locking and dynamic stability of humanoid robots, an extremely reliable brake is indispensable.
According to calculations based on MIR Research industry survey data, the market sales volume of electromagnetic brakes in China's robot industry reached 3.8 million units (in terms of sets) in 2025. In this critical component field, domestic manufacturers represented by CDC and REACH have risen strongly, not only dominating the market share but also competing with international giants in technical parameters.
2025 Market Analysis
01. Surging Demand for Robot "Safety Guards"
As robot penetration enters an explosive period, brakes are no longer simple power-off braking devices, but core executive components that determine the absolute safety and absolute precision of robots. Meanwhile, 2025 is the first year of mass production for humanoid robots. Leading robot manufacturers such as Unitree Robotics, Agibot, and UBTECH have successively broken through the milestone of 1,000 units in shipments, drawing a blueprint for new incremental growth in the future of humanoid robot motor actuators.
In industrial robot (multi-joint, SCARA, collaborative) and emerging humanoid robot scenarios, brakes undertake irreplaceable key tasks:
1) Power-off safety protection (rigid demand): In the event of a sudden power failure or emergency stop, the brake must respond within milliseconds to lock the joint, preventing the robotic arm from falling due to its own weight and causing personal injury or equipment damage.
2) High-precision positioning maintenance: During assembly, welding, or precision machining, after the motor is powered off, external loads may cause micro-movements in position. The brake is responsible for maintaining absolute positional accuracy in the stopped state, ensuring process consistency.
3) Vertical axis anti-fall: This is the most important line of defense for industrial robots, especially in heavy-load palletizing or press-fitting applications, where the reliability of the brake directly determines production safety.
4) Joint braking of humanoid robots: When humanoid robots are in standby or powered off, the brake needs to output high torque in an extremely small volume to maintain a standing posture; during dynamic walking, zero residual torque is required to achieve smooth torque output.
Facing stringent application requirements, robot-specific brakes are rapidly iterating toward ultra-thin, silent, zero-backlash, and low-power consumption directions.
Market Competition Landscape
02. Domestic Duopoly Leads the Way, Breaking Through to the High-End with Technology
01. CDC: Accumulating Strength for a Breakthrough, Topping the Robot Brake Chart
Chengdu CDC Technology Co., Ltd., headquartered in Chengdu, is a national high-tech enterprise integrating professional design, development, production, and sales. It focuses on products such as electromagnetic brakes and permanent magnet brakes, with a brake production capacity of 7 million units per year. The company is a national-level "Little Giant" enterprise with specialized, refined, differential, and innovative characteristics, a Sichuan Provincial seed unicorn enterprise, a Sichuan Provincial Top 100 New Economy enterprise, and a Sichuan Provincial Gazelle enterprise. It possesses independent import and export operation rights and has successively passed the ISO 9001 quality management system certification, IATF 16949 automotive quality management system certification, and intellectual property management system certification. Its products have passed CE and UL safety certifications and comply with RoHS and REACH environmental certifications. The products are exported to Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Spain, Brazil, South Korea, and many other countries and regions worldwide.
CDC has demonstrated extremely strong dominance in the field of robot-specific brakes. Relying on core technologies in electromagnetic and permanent magnet braking, as well as self-developed high-performance friction materials and other advantages, it has achieved rapid iteration and accumulation. In addition to being widely used in robots (industrial, collaborative, SCARA, humanoid robots, and embodied intelligence equipment), its products are also extensively applied in various industries such as automation equipment, high-end CNC machine tools, aerospace, and new energy. Currently, CDC has formed more than 30 series and over 6,000 specifications, with more than 2,000 cooperative customers. Its products substitute imported brands, making it a preferred manufacturer for domestic and international customers seeking alternatives to foreign brands.
02. REACH: Empowered by the Listed Platform, Deeply Cultivating Core "Braking + Transmission" Technologies for Robot Joints
As a veteran force in the domestic electromagnetic brake field, REACH relies on profound technical accumulation and forward-looking strategic layout. Since its establishment in 2009 and its recent listing on the A-share market, REACH has been accelerating its evolution from a single brake component supplier to a core system solution provider for robot joint modules, leveraging the advantages of its capital platform.
In addressing the contradiction between ultra-thin design and high torque, which is of utmost concern to robots, REACH has independently developed ultra-thin and extremely thin servo brakes for robots. Through innovative electromagnetic design and precision machining, and for different working conditions, REACH has developed a series of new friction plate formulas covering ultra-wear resistance, high friction coefficient, and high-temperature resistance. This ensures that the brakes can maintain excellent braking performance and stability in different scenarios, which is a key step in achieving import substitution.
In addition, REACH does not only focus on brakes but executes a clear "Two Wings Steady + Core Upgrade" product strategy:
• Two Wings Steady: Electromagnetic brakes and precision transmission components (shrink discs, couplings, etc.) serve as the cornerstone of the company's steady development. Leveraging the synergistic effects of these two major businesses, the company can provide robot customers with more comprehensive transmission and braking solutions.
• Core Upgrade: Harmonic reducers and joint modules are positioned as the core of industrial upgrading. REACH's independently developed harmonic reducers and joint modules, relying on long-life and heavy-duty process technology, have solved industry pain points such as vibration, noise, and low repeat positioning accuracy, and have successfully entered the supply chains of industrial robots, collaborative robots, and even humanoid robots.
• Imminent Capacity Expansion and Forward-looking Layout for Humanoids: Facing the explosive growth demand in the robot market, especially for humanoid robots, REACH has launched a capacity expansion plan. Meanwhile, the company has laid out for the future in advance. Its independently developed permanent magnet brakes, mini harmonic reducers, and joint modules can all be adapted for collaborative robots and humanoid robots, demonstrating keen insight into cutting-edge trends.
03. KENDRION: European Leader in Permanent Magnet Braking Technology
As a representative of European brakes, KENDRION possesses an extremely high moat in permanent magnet braking technology. Its permanent magnet brakes are hailed as one of the products with the highest power density on the market, capable of achieving extremely high torque in a very small installation space. With excellent characteristics such as zero residual torque and zero wear, they are widely used in high-end robots and precision automation fields, becoming the primary benchmark for domestic substitution.
04. STEKI (Shanghai Tangyi): Deep Localization, Highlighting Flexible Response and Cost-Performance Advantages
As another outstanding domestic brand on the list, STEKI (Shanghai Tangyi), relying on its profound understanding of domestic automation application scenarios, has captured a 6% share in the 2025 robot brake market, firmly ranking among the top domestic brands.
In terms of product technology, STEKI has focused on optimizing the response speed and life consistency of brakes, ensuring stable performance under production line conditions with frequent start-and-stop operations. Meanwhile, in 2025, the sales of permanent magnet brakes launched by STEKI for humanoid robots have exceeded 10 million RMB. In 2026, it will launch the second-generation lightweight brake, reducing costs by another 15%, with performance benchmarked against top international brands.
Final Summary
03. From "Substitution" to "Leadership": Brakes Define a New Height of Robot Safety
Although robot brakes are small, they are the "last fuse" concerning property and life safety. From the market landscape in 2025, the first domestic echelon led by CDC and REACH, combined with rapidly growing mid-tier forces like STEKI (Shanghai Tangyi), has occupied a dominant market position, with a combined share exceeding 40%. This is not only a quantitative surpass but also a major victory for the security of the industrial chain.
As the industrialization of humanoid robots approaches, the requirements for brakes will shift from "miniaturization" to "micro-miniaturization and integration," and from "single braking" to "intelligent monitoring." For Chinese enterprises that have mastered core electromagnetic design, precision machining, and friction material formulas, this is not only a challenge but also a historic opportunity to move from "supporting and following" to "technology definition."
On the path to the intelligent era, it is precisely these invisible "hidden champions" that, with every millisecond-level precise locking, safeguard every precise leap of China's intelligent manufacturing.