Toyota Motor Corp. (TYO:7203) has announced that it will be the world’s first automobile manufacturer to employ biohydrin rubber in its engine and drive system hoses. These special rubber components must be highly resistant to oil and heat. Toyota will begin using biohydrin rubber in vacuum sensing hoses (used in engine intake systems) this May, with usage expected in all...
Innovation
Yokohama Rubber to Launch New All-terrain SUV Tires
Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5101) has announced it will release new all-terrain SUV tires “Geolandar A/T G015” in August under its Geolandar SUV tire brand. The product will come in 27 sizes. Marking the 20th anniversary of the Geolandar brand, the new product targets drivers who enjoy an active lifestyle. The product’s overall improvements enable higher off-road capabilities and endurance...
JSR Receives Technical Development Award From Chemical Society of Japan
A five-member team led by Motoyuki Shima has received the 64th CSJ Award for Technical Development from the Chemical Society of Japan. Shima is General Manager of the Semiconductor Materials Laboratory, one of the Fine Electronic Materials Research Laboratories at JSR Corp. (TYO:4185). The award recognizes the team’s development of a topcoat material for use in argon fluoride (ArF) immersion...
Toyoda Gosei Develops System to Prevent Drivers From Looking Away, Sleeping on the Wheel
Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd. (TYO:7282) developed a retrofittable alert system that detects dangerous driving behaviors such as taking eyes off the road and nodding off at the wheel in order to help prevent accidents involving its trucks it sold. The system, which consists of a replacement handle equipped with a camera and a smartphone installed with a dedicated application, sends...
Kureha Elastomer to Target Battery, Medical Instrumentation Markets
Kureha Elastomer Co. Ltd., a manufacturer of office automation (OA) equipment and rubber spinning rollers, is developing ultra-thin high-performance rubber sheets with which it hopes to target new markets such as batteries and medical instrumentations. The ultra-thin high-precision sheets measure 0.05-0.02 mm in thickness with tolerances of ±10 percent, and can be produced from various kinds of synthetic rubber in...
Hotty Polymer Develops Flexible Filament for 3D Printers
As previously reported, Hotty Polymer Co. Ltd. has been receiving high marks for its originally developed “HP Filament” at the MD&M West Trade Fair and Conference in Anaheim, California, U.S. The HP Filament is a flexible filament designed for general-purpose 3D printers and enables the sculpting of highly flexible molded objects through Hotty Polymer’s proprietary compounds. Made with resin materials,...