Sekisou Kanagata Co., Ltd.

Sekisou Kanagata Co., Ltd. is a Japanese mold-engineering company based in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture. It was established in April 2001 to commercialize the concept of the "laminated mold" (積層金型, sekisou kanagata) proposed by Professor Nakagawa Takeo of the University of Tokyo's Institute of Industrial Science. The company's representative, Yamazaki Hisao, brought roughly 30 years of experience in automotive part mold design at Mazda Motor Corporation. The firm describes itself as the first in the world to commercialize metal-plate laminated molds for press tooling, and it later succeeded in applying diffusion bonding to join the laminated plates, enabling practical diffusion-bonded laminated molds. The core technology is diffusion bonding (拡散接合), a joining method in which base materials are pressed together below their melting point so that atomic diffusion across the interface creates a bond. This allows the company to build molds with arbitrarily shaped temperature-control channels — cooling channels that cannot be produced by conventional drilling. Because a mold essentially acts as a heat exchanger that cools molten material injected into it, better channel design yields faster cycle times, thinner walls, improved transcription, and fewer weld lines. The company markets this as "high-cycle" molding and offers heat-and-cool molding solutions. Sekisou Kanagata's product lines include diffusion-bonded laminated molds, laminated blocks with diffusion-bonded cooling channels, and various diffusion-bonded parts and members. It also produces spool bushes, hot-runner manifolds, and heat exchangers, and undertakes general press mold manufacturing and machining. Beyond injection molds, it makes casting and steel press molds and mold components such as cores and inserts. Its equipment includes large five-face machining centers, 2D lasers, and diffusion-bonding furnaces, and it performs trial molding. The company is privately held with stated capital of 42.5 million yen. It has received public recognition for its technology, including awards from the Risona Foundation for Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion and Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, and it holds several patents related to its diffusion-bonded laminated mold technology. It is a small, specialized engineering firm serving customers in Japan, with a history of collaboration with universities and delivery to major manufacturers such as Honda. As of the available evidence, the company remains active and continues to research, develop, and manufacture laminated molds from its Hiroshima base.

Sekisou Kanagata Co., Ltd. traces its origins to a concept proposed in the 1980s by Professor Nakagawa Takeo of the University of Tokyo's Institute of Industrial Science: the laminated mold, or sekisou kanagata. The idea was to build molds from stacked metal plates, allowing internal channels and structures that conventional machining could not produce. Development of the concept began in earnest in 1998 at Mazda Steel Co., Ltd. In 2000, Sekisou Kanagata Laboratory Co., Ltd. was established, and joint research began with the Kunieda Laboratory in the Department of Mechanical Systems Engineering at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. The current company, Sekisou Kanagata Co., Ltd., was founded in April 2001 in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture. Its representative, Yamazaki Hisao, had spent about 30 years designing automotive part molds at Mazda Motor Corporation, giving the venture deep practical mold-engineering experience. The company states that it was the first in the world to commercialize metal-plate laminated molds for press tooling. It then applied diffusion bonding to join the laminated plates, succeeding in the practical realization of diffusion-bonded laminated molds. Early milestones include delivery to Honda Motor Co., Ltd.'s Hamamatsu Plant in 2001. In 2002, the company received a commissioned development project from the Japan Science and Technology Agency for "high-cycle resin molding laminated molds." In 2003, it won the 15th Small and Medium Enterprise Excellent New Technology/New Product Award from the Risona Foundation for Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion and Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun. In 2004, it received a "regional new industry creation technology development" subsidy from the Chugoku Industrial and Economic Bureau, raised funds from Tokyo Small and Medium Business Investment & Consultation Co., Ltd., and introduced new equipment including a diffusion bonding furnace. In 2006, it was certified under the Small and Medium Enterprise/Venture Challenge Subsidy Program and began practical application of diffusion-bonded laminated molds. The company continued to build its intellectual property, obtaining Patent No. 4188380 in 2008, Patent No. 4324370 in 2009, and Patent No. 4578894 in 2010. In 2009, it received the 21st Small and Medium Enterprise Excellent New Technology/New Product Award (Excellence Award) from the Risona Foundation and Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun for its diffusion-bonded laminated molds. The company's website was renewed in 2007 and updated in 2009. Sekisou Kanagata remains a privately held company with stated capital of 42.5 million yen. It is a member of the Small and Medium Enterprise Management Association (中小企業家同友会) and the Kinki University Faculty of Engineering Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration Promotion Association. Its business consists of designing and manufacturing diffusion-bonded laminated molds, laminated blocks with diffusion-bonded cooling channels, and various diffusion-bonded parts and members, along with general press mold manufacturing and machining. The company continues to research, develop, and manufacture laminated molds from its base in Kure, Hiroshima.

• 2010

  Obtained Patent No. 4578894

• 2009

  Received 21st Small and Medium Enterprise Excellent New Technology/New Product Award (Excellence Award); obtained Patent No. 4324370

• 2008

  Obtained Patent No. 4188380

• 2006

  Certified under Small and Medium Enterprise/Venture Challenge Subsidy Program; began practical application of diffusion-bonded laminated molds

• 2004

  Received "regional new industry creation technology development" subsidy from Chugoku Industrial and Economic Bureau; raised funds from Tokyo Small and Medium Business Investment & Consultation; introduced new equipment including diffusion bonding furnace

• 2003

  Received 15th Small and Medium Enterprise Excellent New Technology/New Product Award from Risona Foundation and Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun

• 2002

  Commissioned development project from Japan Science and Technology Agency for "high-cycle resin molding laminated molds"

• 2001

  Sekisou Kanagata Co., Ltd. founded in April; delivery to Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Hamamatsu Plant

• 2000

  Sekisou Kanagata Laboratory Co., Ltd. established; joint research started with Kunieda Laboratory at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology

• 1998

  Development began at Mazda Steel Co., Ltd.

• 1980

  Concept of laminated mold proposed by Professor Nakagawa Takeo of the University of Tokyo's Institute of Industrial Science

Specialist engineering firm commercializing diffusion-bonded laminated mold technology for high-cycle, high-precision molding applications.

• Diffusion-bonded laminated molds

  Molds built from laminated metal plates joined by diffusion bonding, enabling arbitrary temperature-control channels for high-cycle molding.

• Laminated blocks with diffusion-bonded cooling channels

  Blocks with internal cooling channels created by diffusion bonding, used for efficient heat exchange in molding.

• Diffusion-bonded parts and members

  Various components and members joined by diffusion bonding.

• Spool bushes

  High-cycle spool bushes for injection molding.

• Hot-runner manifolds

  Manifolds for hot-runner systems.

• Heat exchangers

  Heat exchangers manufactured using diffusion bonding technology.

• General press molds

  Press mold manufacturing and machining services.

• Mold components (cores, inserts)

  Cores and inserts for molds.

1. 1株式会社積層金型｜金型製作、拡散接合、プラスチック金型、中子、入れ子sekisou.com
2. 2株式会社積層金型｜会社案内sekisou.com
3. 3Sekisou Kanagata Co., Ltd. (Japan) - Wikidatawikidata.org