Japanese metalworking is highly precise by global standards, and Japanese manufacturers are responsible in large part for the precision components of automobiles, robots, electrical products, smartphones, and PCs manufactured around the world.
Japanese metalworking has high precision
Why does Japan have such high metalworking technology? There are several reasons.
Precision of molds
Molds used to form parts and products require high precision and durability, and Japan's mold technology is highly regarded worldwide.
Skilled Craftsmen
Our craftsmen's skills, cultivated over many years, are combined with the technical expertise to use the latest machine tools. We are capable of precision machining that does not tolerate even the smallest error.
Strict Quality Control
Japan has a culture of “Kaizen” (improvement), and the spirit of pursuing product quality and production efficiency through continuous daily reviews is deeply rooted in the country.
Formation of an electronics industry cluster region
One of the reasons for the sophistication of metalworking in Japan is the concentration of metalworking companies in certain areas, such as Toyota in Aichi Prefecture, Tsubame-Sanjo in Niigata Prefecture, Ota-ku in Tokyo, the Tama region, and Yamanashi, where know-how has been accumulated over many years, forming electric manufacturing regions.
In Yamanashi, mechanical and electronic industries such as numerical control equipment and semiconductor manufacturing equipment have been formed.
Domestic Invention of High-Precision Machining Technology
The invention of the NC electrical discharge machine (NC shape carving electrical discharge machine with microcomputer) by a Japanese company (Sodick Co., Ltd.) allowed high-precision metalworking technology to take root in Japan (see below for details). This unique domestic technology has supported high-precision metalworking technology.
What is a mold?
A mold is a die used to form a certain part. Whether making metal or plastic parts, molds enable mass production.
Molds include injection molding molds (mainly for making plastic products), forging molds (for forming metal products), and press molds (for forming by hammering metal sheets), all of which require high precision and durability.
Metal Casting and Die Casting: Where Precision Has Been Pursued
Metal is an important component used in various industries. The “precision” of metal products has always been directly related to their industrial potential.
Metal casting is a manufacturing method in which molten metal is poured into a mold to produce parts and products according to the desired shape, and has long been used as a typical forming technique in metal processing.
It can produce products in metals such as iron, aluminum, and copper, and can also manufacture complex shapes and large parts. Types include sand casting (e.g., the Great Buddha of Nara) and pressure casting (die casting), in which products are pressed into artificially closed molds.
Of these, die casting uses high pressure to press metal into a mold, enabling the molding and mass production of high-precision parts. Compared to sand casting, which uses the dead weight of the molten metal, die casting enables casting with a higher degree of precision and is still widely used for casting automobile parts and electronic components. The higher the precision of the mold, the higher the precision of the product.
In this way, metal processing has been pursued for accuracy while being devised from various aspects.
In this context, Sodick Co., Ltd. a Japanese machine tool manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, has decided to develop NC electric discharge machines and wire electric discharge machines.
NC Electric Discharge Machine
The precision of Japanese metal processing technology is among the highest in the world. Behind this is the invention of the NC electric discharge machine.
The world's first NC electric discharge machine (numerically controlled electric discharge machine) was developed by the aforementioned Sodick, which enabled metalworking with extremely high precision.
- Machining of complex shapes such as 3-D
- Machining of difficult-to-machine materials such as titanium, Inconel, and cemented carbides
- Machining of extremely small holes and fine shapes
Electric discharge machining tools will be applied not only to metal molds but also to the fields of electrical and electronics, automotive industry, semiconductor parts, medical equipment, and aerospace, and NC electric discharge machines will contribute to Japan's highly precise metal processing technology NC electric discharge machines have contributed greatly to Japan's high-precision metalworking technology, and have contributed to manufacturing around the world.
Japanese Metalworking Technology - Areas of Expertise
Due in part to this history, the following parts and products are made in Japan and have earned a worldwide reputation.
Automobile parts
In automotive parts, where high safety and durability are required, Japanese products enjoy the highest level of trust in the world.
Aerospace parts
Japanese metalworking technology plays an important role in the aerospace field, where rockets and satellites require high precision, durability, and corrosion resistance.
For example, Japan possesses the technology to process ultra difficult-to-machine materials such as the nickel alloy Inconel with high precision, and these metal parts are used in the International Space Station and rocket engines.
Medical and Research Equipment
Medical and research equipment also requires fine and precise metal processing.
Microfabrication technology is well developed in Japan, and medical devices such as injection needles and catheters have given birth to products that are thinner and less painful (e.g., a painless injection needle developed by Okano Industries).
Artificial hearts and joint prostheses also require the processing of special material metals (such as titanium and nickel alloys) that must be durable, biocompatible, and have shape memory, and Japan excels in this area as well.
In the research field, Japanese products are often chosen for analytical instruments that researchers around the world want to use. Examples include PCR equipment from Takara Bio, microscopes from Nikon and Keyence, protein analyzers from Shimadzu Corporation, and fluorescence detectors from Fujifilm.
Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment
Japanese technology leads the world in the processing of parts for semiconductor manufacturing equipment, which requires nano-level precision.
There are Densan areas in Miyagi and Yamanashi prefectures that perform high-precision metal processing and play an important role in semiconductor manufacturing.
Metalworking adds new value to traditional products (e.g., MIRAIN, SMART MIRAIN).
When we hear the word “metal processing,” we tend to think of new industrial components, but there are also products being created that give new value to traditional products.
For example, seals traditionally used in the Asian region are now being sold with new value added through metal processing (MIRAIN, SMART MIRAIN).
By shaving with an accuracy of 0.002 mm, the contact area becomes almost invisible (seamless), and the characters stand out from the flat, empty surface of this unique seal.
↑Sodick exhibited its MIRAIN seal at the display booth in front of the president's office.
I believe that Japan's high-precision metalworking will continue to support Japanese and global manufacturing more and more in the future!