For a long time in the past, China's water purification industry focused more on manufacturing capacity, channel scale, and market speed. But with the continuous upgrading of national drinking water demand, industry competition has also begun to enter the deep water zone - core filter elements, material research and development, system architecture and other underlying technologies are gradually becoming a new competitive watershed.

From China's first water purifier, to achieving core technology autonomy for long-term reverse osmosis filters, and to redefining the form of whole house water purification products with the Space Master series, Angel's 38 year development trajectory also reflects the industrial transition of China's clean drinking water industry from "manufacturing following" to "technological autonomy".

The theme of the National Science and Technology Workers' Day in 2026 is "Striving for a New Chapter in the Science and Technology Spectrum of the 15th Five Year Plan", reaffirming the contemporary value of hard core science and technology innovation. In the view of Zhao Kai, Vice President and Chief Scientist of Angel Group, true technological innovation lies not in chasing short-term trends, but in focusing on and continuously cultivating the underlying core technologies that are difficult, have long cycles, and have slow results.

This' long termism 'is the fundamental confidence of Angel's insistence on self-developed breakthroughs and continuous leadership in industry development.

Why do we have to make 'Chinese chips'?

Reverse osmosis filter element has always been the core component with the highest technical barrier in the field of water purifiers. For a long time, this key technology has always been in the hands of overseas companies.

For the Chinese water purification industry, this not only means that the supply chain is controlled by others, but also means that the industry lacks true core technological discourse power.

Since the 1990s, Angel has been deeply involved in the field of water dispensers. In 2014, the brand officially launched its strategic transformation and launched its first reverse osmosis water purifier A6. One of the most important selling points of this product was the use of imported reverse osmosis filter cartridges from the United States.

But behind the explosive products, problems quickly emerged: with a large number of industry followers, similar imported filter elements quickly became the "standard" in the market, and problems such as tight supply, frequent stock shortages, and high procurement costs emerged one after another.

More importantly, overseas filter technology is not fully compatible with China's complex and diverse water quality environment. Angel hopes to optimize technology for actual water use scenarios in Chinese households, but the research and development response speed and technological openness of overseas partners are very limited.

The reality of this' bottleneck 'has gradually made the team realize that if the core technology always relies on external supply, Chinese water purification companies will never be able to truly establish their own technological system.

The company has established a specialized R&D team of over 200 people, embarking on a multi-year battle.

Compared to the relatively standardized water quality environment overseas, the water quality conditions in China are much more complex. The high salt and high hardness water quality in the northwest region is prone to serious scale formation; Organic matter content is relatively high in some high-temperature areas; The differences in water quality in different regions place extremely high demands on the stability of filter cartridges.

In order to obtain real data, the R&D team did not stay in the laboratory, but went to different regions to conduct long-term measurements. The team rents a residence and installs equipment in typical areas to complete full lifecycle testing of the product in a real environment.

This' stupid method 'became an important foundation for Angel's later technological breakthroughs.

In 2019, Angel's long-lasting reverse osmosis filter cartridge was officially launched. Its filtration accuracy reaches 0.0001 microns, with a heavy metal removal rate of up to 99%, and achieves "5-year long-term stability".

This is not only a product upgrade for Angel, but also means that China's water purification industry has truly acquired independent core filter technology capabilities for the first time.

From 'making products' to four' defining industries'

If 'Chinese chips' solve core technological problems, then Angel's series of technological breakthroughs continue to push the industry into new stages.

In 1988, Angel launched China's first water purifier, and in 1993, Angel launched China's first water dispenser, gradually opening the curtain of "allowing Chinese families to drink clean water" and embarking on four journeys of leading industry changes - from the era of drinking water, to the era of long-term end of pipe water purification, to the era of full kitchen large water purification, and then to the era of small volume whole house water purification represented by the Space Master series.

In Zhao Kai's view, Angel has a very clear principle when it comes to research and development: it's not about developing products, but about identifying what users truly lack.

With the upgrading of consumer demand, users' attention to water quality has gradually extended from kitchen drinking water to whole house scenes. The water quality issue of household appliances such as washing machines and water heaters has become a new focus of attention, and the demand for clean drinking water throughout the house has increased accordingly.

However, in the past, traditional whole house water purification and softening equipment were generally bulky and more suitable for large residential units such as villas and large flats, making it difficult to enter mainstream households. The installation space available for most small and medium-sized units is often limited to a narrow space below the kitchen sink, which is less than 45 centimeters high.

This means that if miniaturization of equipment cannot be achieved, it will be difficult to truly popularize whole house water purification.

To solve this problem, Angel has developed its own AI intelligent multi way valve, which reduces the volume of the core component by about 40%. Combined with patented series structure and patented split design, it achieves an overall volume compression of 46%, allowing small and medium-sized units to install a complete whole house water purification system.

The Space Master series, born in 2024, immediately became popular in the market upon its launch - according to Euromonitor's sales research on whole house water purifiers, the Angel Space Master M7 series and whole house Mini water softener have achieved the top sales in the central water purifier and central water softener categories for two consecutive years. Whole house water purification has moved from being exclusive to large units to more ordinary households.

The significance of technology is to make life a little better

During the conversation, Zhao Kai repeatedly mentioned a word - 'user'.

For Angel, the ultimate goal of technological innovation has never been data itself, but solving real-life problems.

The earliest reverse osmosis water purifiers had a water output of only 125 milliliters per minute, which was difficult to meet the high-frequency water demand of households. Once the flow rate is increased, the noise of the high-pressure water pump will significantly increase, affecting people's daily life and rest.

Insight into the urgent demand of users for high flow water purification, Angel focuses on breaking through water pump technology in product development, striving to achieve the "impossible triangle" of low noise, high flow, and long life, and creating a truly suitable whole house water purification solution for Chinese households.

To achieve this idea, the team turned their attention to horizontally opposed engines in the automotive industry.

This engine structure runs more smoothly and has less vibration. Inspired by this, the R&D team introduced the "opposed balance" structural logic into the clean water pump system.

After extensive testing and validation, Angel ultimately developed a 12 cavity opposed balance structure, combined with a specially designed nano composite process diaphragm, achieving multiple key breakthroughs: reducing volume by 30%, increasing pure water flow rate by 50%, and controlling operating noise below 40 decibels.

Zhao Kai mentioned a user case that left a deep impression on the team: a young user wanted to install a whole house water purification system while renovating a new house, but due to limited kitchen space, traditional equipment could not be adapted. After visiting multiple stores, he ultimately chose Angel Space Master.

After the installation was completed, the other party sent feedback to customer service, which roughly stated that in the past, they always thought that whole house water purification was a configuration for "big houses" and had nothing to do with small households; But for the first time, someone seriously considered and addressed the spatial needs of such families.

This user case has greatly inspired the Zhao Kai team. R&D personnel usually face parameters, drawings, and data, but users won't remember what structure you used. They will only remember: this product makes life more comfortable

This is actually the most valuable aspect of technology, "Zhao Kai said.

In 2025, Zhao Kai will showcase Angel's independently developed technology at the Dutch International Water Exhibition.

Compared to over a decade ago, the role of Chinese water purification companies in the international market has undergone significant changes. In the past, we were spectators, but now we have become objects of being watched“

Zhao Kai believes that in the future, the water purification industry will not only focus on whether there is clean water, but also move from safety to health, paying more attention to deeper needs such as mineral balance, long-term drinking water health, and personalized water use. In the past, we were more focused on catching up, but in the future, we should have the ability to define new technological paths, new product standards, and even new lifestyles

This may be the true value of tech workers - to push the industry forward and change the lives of thousands of households in unseen places, little by little.