模具是制造業(yè)的重要工藝基礎，在我國，模具制造屬于專用設備制造業(yè)。中國雖然很早就開始制造模具和使用模具，但長期未形成產業(yè)。直到20世紀80年代后期，中國模具工業(yè)才駛入發(fā)展的快車道。近年，不僅國有模具企業(yè)有了很大發(fā)展，三資企業(yè)、鄉(xiāng)鎮(zhèn)（個體）模具企業(yè)的發(fā)展也相當迅速。
雖然中國模具工業(yè)發(fā)展迅速，但與需求相比，顯然供不應求，其主要缺口集中于精密、大型、復雜、長壽命模具領域。由于在模具精度、壽命、制造周期及生產能力等方面，中國與國際平均水平和發(fā)達國家仍有較大差距，因此，每年需要大量進口模具。
中國模具產業(yè)除了要繼續(xù)提高生產能力，今后更要著重于行業(yè)內部結構的調整和技術發(fā)展水平的提高。結構調整方面，主要是企業(yè)結構向專業(yè)化調整，產品結構向著中高檔模具發(fā)展，向進出口結構的改進，中高檔汽車覆蓋件模具成形分析及結構改進、多功能復合模具和復合加工及激光技術在模具設計制造上的應用、高速切削、超精加工及拋光技術、信息化方向發(fā)展。
The mold is the manufacturing industry important craft foundation, in our country, the mold manufacture belongs to the special purpose equipment manufacturing industry. China although very already starts to make the mold and the use mold, but long-term has not formed the industry. Straight stabs 0 centuries 80's later periods, the Chinese mold industry only then drives into the development speedway. Recent years, not only the state-owned mold enterprise had the very big development, the three investments enterprise, the villages and towns (individual) the mold enterprise's development also quite rapid .
Although the Chinese mold industrial development rapid, but compares with the demand, obviously falls short of demand, its main gap concentrates precisely to, large-scale, is complex, the long life mold domain. As a result of in aspect and so on mold precision, life, manufacture cycle and productivity, China and the international average horizontal and the developed country still had a bigger disparity, therefore, needed massively to import the mold every year .