SAMPE Journal - May/June 2016 - 21

Japan Report
3rd Technical Information Exchange Meeting

Yasunari Kuratani
SAMPE Japan held its 3rd technical conference of 2016 on
Membership & Publicity Committee
th
January 28 , at Ritsumeikan University. Past meetings had
kuratani@kado-corporation.com
been held in Tokyo, the capital of Japan, but this was the first
to take place in Osaka. The majority of the speakers were from
west of the Kansai area. The number of participants was 53,
regarded as a huge success. The theme was "Research and
Development and Non-destructive Inspection Methods for
Commercial Applications." The speakers touched on the keys of development and difficulties in practical use. The following is an
overview of the program and its details:
Program Content:
1. Research regarding Energy Absorbing Components and Challenges in the Application of Composite Materials in Automobiles:
An Introduction / Yuji Ishitsuka, Honda R&D Co., Ltd.
2. Concerning the Development of CFRP Marine-related Propellers / Toshio Yamatogi, Nakashima Propeller Co., Ltd.

3. Introduction of Non-Destructive Testing in CFRP Composite Materials (Ultrasound Tests and Infrared Inspection) / Yutaka
Nishitani, KJTD Co., Ltd.,
4. Utilization and Limitations of Composite Materials Using Bamboo Fiber / Toru Fujii, Doshisha University

5. Introduction of Several Varieties of Manufacturing Technologies and Industry-University Cooperation Case Studies for the
Mass Production and Recycling of Thermoplastic CFRPs / Kazuaki Nishiyabu, Kindai University

4th Special Meeting

As a continuation of last year's "Special Meeting" series, from
March 6th through the 13th SAMPE Japan planned a special tour
which consisted of participation in the SAMPE Europe Summit
and the JEC World 2016 Composites Show, as well as plant
tours to observe European advanced technology. There were
13 participants. Thanks to the cooperation of SAMPE Europe,
they were shown around the Netherlands factory of Fokker
Aerostructures, Hoogeveen, by Arnt Offringa, the president
of SAMPE Europe. The participants were able to observe the joining (fusion bonding) of CFRTPs in addition to seeing automation
technologies, and the experience proved to be exceptionally valuable.

SAMPE Europe Summit 16 Paris, France

This summit event was comprised of four blocks: "Automotive," "Advanced Products & Engineering," "Composites in Architecture &
Infrastructure" and "Aerospace." Gen Ishikawa, Senior Advisor of Business Development at ACM Inc. and Vice President of SAMPE
Japan Region, delivered
the lecture on Advanced
Products & Engineering.
The title was "The Sound
of Composites," and in it
he detailed the history
of the development of a
musical instrument, the
CFRPhone,
produced
by ACM Inc. He then
charmed the audience by
using the instrument to give a live performance of the theme song of the well-known Japanese movie "Spirited Away."
The instrument's distinguishing characteristic is that while it is a keyboard instrument like a xylophone or a glockenspiel, its length
is the same as that of the white keys on a piano. Furthermore, the black and the white keys are the same length. The reasons why this
design is able to be realized are, one, various grades of carbon fiber are used, and two, a variety of natural frequency and strength
properties were evaluated prior to production. The total weight is 14.7 kg, making it very light. Currently, it features two-and-a-half
octaves, but in the future the company plans to produce a new CFRPhone with three octaves as well as an improved keyboard with a
wider range of rich sound tones.

JISTES 2016 Kyoto NEWS!

This year, JISTES 2016 Kyoto- the "Japan International SAMPE Technical Seminar" - will be held. We look forward to seeing you there!
Event timing is 14-15 July 2016, at the Kanbaikan Hall, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan. Lectures, Keynote Address, and Tabletop
Exhibitions. Our theme is "Innovative Composite Manufacturing Technologies for any Kind of Composite Field, from the Aircraft
Industry to the Industrial Market".

SAMPE Journal, Volume 52, No. 3, May/June 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SAMPE Journal - May/June 2016