株式会社東北PREP技術

About Us

Look forward to TOHOKU PREP Technology Inc.
―Aim to be a company that
leads the digital society with PREP technology

Akihiko Chiba

Institute for Material Science, Tohoku University

Tohoku PREP Technology Inc.: Technical advisor (volunteer)

Look forward to TOHOKU PREP Technology Inc.
―Aim to be a company that leads the digital society with PREP technology

Institute for Material Science, Tohoku UniversityAkihiko Chiba
TOHOKU PREP Technology Inc.: Technical advisor (concurrent post: volunteer)

The goal of metal additive manufacturing technology called 3D printers is to build a digital manufacturing process that strongly promotes digital transformation (DX) in the manufacturing industry driven by IoT and AI. In developed countries in the Western and China, manufacturing by this advanced manufacturing industry is regarded as a paradigm for the near-future manufacturing industry, and efforts aimed at establishment of the manufacturing industry cyber-physical systems (CPS) has been activated. The goal of metal additive manufacturing technology called 3D printers is to build a digital manufacturing process that strongly promotes digital transformation (DX) in the manufacturing industry driven by IoT and AI. In developed countries in the Western and China, manufacturing by this advanced manufacturing industry is regarded as a paradigm for the near-future manufacturing industry, and efforts aimed at establishment of the manufacturing industry cyber-physical systems (CPS) has been activated.

Moreover, emissivity is one of the most important factors at powder bed fusion with Laser or Electron Beam. The thermal emissivity of a powder bed made of irregularly shaped metal powder varies greatly even if lead its particle size distribution uniform. If the thermal emissivity is not always constant, melt-solidification cannot be constant, and the optimum build parameters will change depending on the condition of the metal powder used. The thermal emissivity of a powder bed made of irregularly shaped metal powder varies greatly even if the particle size distribution is uniform. If the thermal emissivity is not always constant, its melt-solidification will not be constant, and thus the optimum build parameters will change depending on the condition of the metal powder used. In this case, it is virtually impossible to build a database and CPSAM. On the other hand, since the PREP powder is highly spherical, the same thermal emissivity can always be obtained if powder bed makes with adjusted particle size distribution, and thus CPSAM can be constructed.

Furthermore, since there are almost no residual gas defects such as argon mixed in the PREP powder during manufacturing, it is possible to obtain high-quality products manufactured using this in terms of strength characteristics. Furthermore, the PREP powder owns almost no gas defects such as residual argon during manufacturing so that the built can also be obtained with high quality in terms of strength. Especially when used as a power system member for aircraft or automobiles, the powder with residual gas cannot be used.

Therefore, the PREP powder is the most suitable powder for metal additive manufacturing to construct of CPSAM. In addition, with the development of the digital manufactured (DX) advanced manufacturing industry, needs for the additive manufacturing with the PREP powder are increasing, and the market scale is expected to expand rapidly in the future.

“Tohoku PREP Technology Co., Ltd.” is the first company in the world to manufacture and sell the above-mentioned high-quality PREP powder in order to complement the domestic and overseas material industry, which is devoted to gas atomizing powder. I hope that it will grow as a company that pursues the core of extremely important material technology for industrial DX.