Mitsui Chemicals and ARRK Supply Materials for High-Performance Concept Car
2024年6月26日 - 1:30PM
ビジネスワイヤ(英語)
TAFNEX™ CF/PP and 3D-printed components
developed by the Mitsui Chemicals Group find application in Toyota
Fortuner-based car designed by TCD ASIA
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo:4183; President & CEO:
HASHIMOTO Osamu) and subsidiary ARRK Corporation (Osaka; President
& CEO: MOROZUMI Naoki) today announced that materials developed
by the two companies have been employed in a high-performance
concept car based on the Toyota Fortuner. Direct pellet-fed
3D-printed components*1 jointly developed by Mitsui Chemicals and
ARRK, and TAFNEX™ CF/PP*2 – a unidirectional carbon
fiber-reinforced polypropylene resin sheet developed by Mitsui
Chemicals – have found application in the TOYOTA Hyper-F CONCEPT,
which has been designed by TCD ASIA CO., LTD.*3 (Bangkok, Thailand;
President: KAWAZOE Takayuki).
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TAFNEX™ CF/PP and 3D-printed components
find application in the TOYOTA Hyper-F CONCEPT (Photo: Business
Wire)
TAFNEX™ CF/PP and the newly developed direct pellet-fed
3D-printed components will be exhibited at Bangkok Auto Salon 2024,
a custom car show taking place in the Thai capital from June 26–30,
and at Bangsaen Grand Prix 2024, a car race that will be held on
the outskirts of Bangkok from July 3–7.
The TOYOTA Hyper-F CONCEPT is a high-performance concept model
with a styling design that incorporates the road handling and
aerodynamic performance cultivated in the racing field by TCD
ASIA’s motorsport business. The new materials have enabled the
company to further reduce the concept car’s weight. In addition,
the fitting of four sport seats provides a new mode of enjoyment
that users cannot experience in a two-seater vehicle.
TAFNEX™ CF/PP has been used for decorative components on part of
the front bumper and the hood air vents, while the direct
pellet-fed 3D-printed components are fitted to the hood air duct
bezels.
*1 Direct pellet-fed 3D-printed
components
In 2020, Mitsui Chemicals launched an investment and business
alliance with Dreams Design Corporation (Nagoya, Aichi;
Representative Director: OKUMURA Yasuyuki), an engineering service
provider focused on automobile development. Then, in 2023, Mitsui
Chemicals embarked on a similar investment and business alliance
with ExtraBold Inc. (Toshima-ku, Tokyo; CEO: HARA Yuji), a
manufacturer of direct pellet-fed 3D printers.
The 3D-printed components fitted to the concept car bring
together the auto part design technology of Dreams Design;
ExtraBold’s EXF-12 3D printer, which delivers high-speed printing
of large parts; the 3D printing and post-processing technologies of
ARRK, one of Japan’s largest product development support companies
in this industry, offering everything from prototyping to mass
production; and the polyolefin-based composite technology being
developed by Mitsui Chemicals for use in 3D printing.
Applying mechanisms used in injection molding, direct pellet-fed
3D printers form structures directly from plastic pellets. The
advantage of this approach over conventional 3D printers is a
stable increase in the quantity of plastic discharged, thereby
enabling large structures to be formed quickly. When used in the
high-mix, low-volume mass production of 3D-printed items, the
moldless technique helps to reduce both development lead times and
the initial investment required, including mold costs. In addition,
the technology is expected to contribute to the circular economy,
as the 3D-printed items can be crushed into pellets and recycled as
raw materials for further 3D printing.
*2 TAFNEX™ CF/PP
TAFNEX™ CF/PP is a unidirectional tape (UD tape) made from a
carbon fiber (CF) and polypropylene (PP) composite using Mitsui
Chemicals’ proprietary technologies. As well as being lightweight
and highly rigid with good moldability, it boasts features that can
be altered to suit a diverse range of designs, such as marble-like
patterns. TAFNEX™ is designed to be adapted for use in automobiles
and drones, along with a range of other applications in the
industrial and consumer sectors. Such applications include local
reinforcement of injected or pressed molded parts, and the material
can also be processed into parts in the form of tubes or laminated
sheets.
Special site: Mitsui Chemicals TAFNEX™ (mitsuichemicals.com)
*3 TCD ASIA CO., LTD. is a Thai
subsidiary of TOYOTA CUSTOMIZING & DEVELOPMENT Co.,
Ltd.
References
- ARRK Corporation: https://jp.arrk.com/en/
- Dreams Design Corporation:
https://www.dreams-design.co.jp/
- ExtraBold Inc.: https://www.extbold.com/en
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240625671616/en/
For inquiries about this matter, please contact: Corporate
Communications Division Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. Tel: +81-3-6880-7500
Inquiry form:
https://form.mitsuichemicals.com/corporate/cc_pr_csr_en?param=13
New Markets Creation Department, New Business Creation Division
ARRK Corporation E-mail address for inquiries:
daishiro_takahashi@arrk.co.jp
For inquiries about TAFNEX™ CF/PP or 3D-printed components,
please contact: Mobility Solutions Development Division, Mobility
Solutions Business Sector Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. E-mail addresses
for inquiries: Atsushi.Miyata@mitsuichemicals.com (TAFNEX™)
Naomi.Urakawa@mitsuichemicals.com (3D-printed components) TAFNEX™
inquiry form