Award-Winning Machine Parts and Tooling Technology to be Showcased in Lobby of METI Main Building

1. Outline of machine parts and tooling products

Machine parts and tooling products are manufactured by applying heat and physical force to raw metal materials through such techniques as casting and forging. These products have been supporting people’s daily lives since ancient times, and even now they are indispensable for people as these products are incorporated in every product, such as automobiles and information and communication devices.

Japanese companies in the machine parts and tooling industry have strong points in technological development and improvement of manufacturing site environments and have been making such products with outstanding quality and performance.

Examples of machine parts and tooling products

• Engine block
• Automobile gears
• Iron kettle

2. Outline of Machine Parts and Tooling Month

Machine Parts and Tooling Month aims to vitalize the machine parts and tooling industry and raise public understanding of the industry and the field of manufacturing (monodzukuri). Since METI designated every November as Machine Parts and Tooling Month, it and related associations have been intensively holding a variety of events and occasions during the month every year aiming to call public attention to machine parts and tooling. They have been holding a commendation ceremony, honoring award winners under the Machine Parts and Tooling Technology Award program and showcasing award-winning technologies at METI, while associations and other organizations in the industry have been hosting events and occasions. This year’s Machine Parts and Tooling Month is the 26th since its inauguration in 1995.

3. Outline of the award-winning technologies and showcasing thereof at METI

The Machine Parts and Tooling Technology Award is an award program inaugurated in FY1985. The Sokeizai Center has been hosting the program and, aiming to vitalize the machine parts and tooling industry in Japan, honoring outstanding developers of technologies that have dramatically contributed to advancing and enhancing the technological level of the industry through their development of excellent technologies in the industry. The award winners of the FY2020 program were honored at the commendation ceremony celebrating Machine Parts and Tooling Month held on November 5 (Thur.), 2020.

From November 9 (Mon.) to December 11 (Fri.), 2020, METI will showcase seven award-winning technologies out of the eight under the FY2020 program in the lobby of the METI Main Building. METI will showcase actual products taking advantage of the technologies and panels explaining the technologies with video clips showing them, aiming to call public attention to Japan’s outstanding machine parts and tooling technologies.

Scene from the FY2020 ceremony

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4. List of the FY2020 winners of the awards

(1) METI Minister’s Award

Title of developed technology: Development of large-scale, copper-tin alloy pot stills for distilling whiskey, taking advantage of a traditional casting technology
Winner: Mr. Motoi Hideji and three other personnel, Oigo Seisakusho Corporation

(2) SMEA Commissioner’s Award

Title of developed technology: Development of transport steel pipes with high wear-resistance in which high-chrome cast iron is inserted and abrasion inspections are permitted
Winner: Mr. Yoshimura Kazutoshi and two other personnel, Kimura Foundry Co., Ltd.

(3) Director-General’s Award of the Manufacturing Industries Bureau (two winners)

• Title of developed technology: Manufacturing of machining parts, e.g., molds, taking advantage of AI-based automatic estimation and digital monodzukuri (manufacturing)
  Winner: Mr. Yoshida Mitsunobu and five other personnel, Head Office, MISUMI Group Inc.

• Title of developed technology: Development of a press molding technology for high-strength stainless steel hose clamps
  Winner: Mr. Takagi Toshihiko and one other personnel, Takagi Mfg. Co., Ltd.

(4) President’s Award of the Sokeizai Center (four winners)

• Title of developed technology: Development of a precision casting technology for reinforced aluminum-base alloys in which SiC particles obtained at Vf=40% are dispersed
  Winner: Mr. Uchibori Hiroshi and five other personnel, Tokyo Lost-Wax Industry Corporation

• Title of developed technology: Development of a monitoring system by making visible furnace atmosphere gases in atmosphere furnaces
  Winner: Mr. Kanda Kouichi and two other personnel, Kanto Yakin Kogyo Ltd.

• Title of developed technology: Development of a technology for joining dissimilar metals to which cold heading technology is applied; and successful mass production of products
  Winner: Mr. Yamamoto Koji and one other personnel, Nittoseiko Co., Ltd.

• Title of developed technology: Development of lightweight and high-strength brake pedal arms by press molding of complex forms of elliptical pipes
  Winner: Mr. Inagaki Shogo and two other personnel, Bellsonica Corporation

Division in Charge

Machine Parts and Tooling Industries Office, Manufacturing Industries Bureau