Synthetic rubber and chemicals manufacturer JSR Corp. (TYO:4185) has developed a 3D-printed prosthetic leg in a joint project with All Nippon Airways Co. Ltd. (ANA) and prosthesis manufacturer SHC Design Inc. The company intends to support efforts to commercialize the tool. Current prosthetic legs are typically made from metal and cost a pricey 300,000 to 400,000 yen ($2,953 to $3,937)....
According to figures compiled by the Japan Rubber Hose Manufacturers Association, production of rubber hoses for the first half of 2016 (January-June) fell 3.4 percent over the previous year to 16,968 tons, calculated according to the volume of new rubber produced. The value of rubber hoses shipped over the same period was down 2.6 percent year-on-year to 66.063 billion yen...
Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (TYO:5110) has developed a bridge-purposed ultra durability rubber bearing in collaboration with Central-Nexco Technical Marketing Co. Ltd. and Denka Co. Ltd. (TYO:4061). The new rubber bearing achieves a high degree of ozone resistance, employing a chloroprene rubber (CR) composition to make it 5,000 times more resistant than conventional natural rubber compounds. While Sumitomo Rubber is already...
Shipment values of construction equipment are forecast at 1.855 trillion yen ($18.283 billion) in fiscal 2017, on a par with the previous year, according to the Japan Construction Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA). This includes a forecast 822 billion yen in the domestic market, up 2 percent year-on-year, the first rise in two years. The forecast for exports is 1.033 trillion...
Bando Chemical Industries Ltd. (TYO:5195), a major industrial belt manufacturer, welcomed its 110th anniversary this April. According to Bando Chemical’s President, Mitsutaka Yoshii, the company has grown by producing belts that meet the needs of leading industries in each age. Yoshii said that Bando Chemical will continue using a variety of materials to manufacture high quality products while adapting to...
Synthetic rubber production fell 5.6 percent year-on-year to 773,584 tons in the first half of 2016, according to the Synthetic Rubber Industry Association of Japan. Production was down for all categories year-on-year, including a 6.1 percent decline for styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), a 2.8 percent decline for polybutadiene rubber (BR) and a 2.2 percent decline for ethylene propylene diene terpolymer (EPT)....
