TCT Japan is already proving to be a wild success, the number of visitors on day one is posted up in this press room for all to see (12,479 people visited Big Sight on Jan 30), the feedback from exhibitors is promising but there's something I've not been able to put my finger on, where exactly is Japan in terms of additive manufacturing maturity?
Like a Himitsu-bako (a Japanese puzzle box), on the surface, it appears, relatively simple, but there are twists and turns to unpick before unearthing the treasure.
During the opening day's conferencing, Mr Sawakoshi Toshiyuki of the 3D Manufacturing Promotion Association was first up on stage, he was keen to understand why Japan is so far behind the curve when it comes to additive manufacturing, even going so far as saying, "there are many companies in Japan that still do not the very basics of 3D printing".
It's an opinion widely shared, with many crying out for more education on the applications of additive. Commentary on the current climate of technological innovation withing Japan has suggested that the country has become risk-averse and that's a feeling shared by many in this industry.
With such a high profile manufacturing portfolio, particularly in automotive - where additive has seen a huge uptake - the perceived lack of use seems bizarre especially when you consider the early history Japan had with technologies. Many different sources dispute the origins of 3D printing but what is clear is that before Chuck Hull released stereolithography onto the world, Hideo Kodama of Nagoya Municipal Industrial Research Institute had two inventions that involved three-dimensional modelling in 1981.
Hideo Kodama's early patent
The innovation didn't stop there either, long-standing industry expert Graham Tromans told me whilst walking the show floor that he and fellow 3D printing luminaire Phill Dickens, took a visit Japan for an Overseas Science and Technology Expert Mission (OSTEM) over twenty years ago.
On the mission, Graham observed that the automotive companies and large companies like Mitsubishi were all using rapid prototyping technology, perhaps not to the standards of the UK, but they were certainly there. Graham gave me a list of Japanese companies, who manufactured early rapid prototyping machines, that we no longer see nor hear of, it was a bit of a rabbit hole but the history of 3D printing in Japan is a long one:
- CMET: A division of Mitsubishi Corp, CMET launched the first stereolithography machine in Japan in 1988. By 1992, Terry Wohlers reported that the Solid Object Ultraviolet Laser Plotter (SOUP) had sold as many as 56 machines to companies including Mercedes, Fujitsu, Matsushita Electric, two Japanese universities and Dornier Deutsche Aerospace in Germany.
- Teijin Seiki: Founded in 1944, Teijin Seiki licensed DuPont's Soliform Solid Forming System in 1991 and by 1995 had reported the install of over 29 stereolithography machines. Teijin merged with CMET in 2001 and the merged company is still releasing and selling its Rapid Meister ATOMm series of machinery.
- D-MEC: Could you imagine the clamour if now, in 2019, a 3D printer was launched under the brand Sony? Established in 1990, D-MEC's series of stereolithography systems was developed jointly with Japan Synthetic Rubber and Sony Manufacturing Systems. The Solid Creation Systems were popular with automotive manufacturers and according to the same article on Terry Wohler's website, Toyota purchased one for $500,000.
- Kira: Japan's first non-stereolithography system was released by the Kira Corp in 1994, the Solid Center used plain office paper along with lamination and an x-y plotting knife to build up objects, not unlike Mcor's technology. Kira's Solid Center was short-lived, a brief sales period in the U.S. in 2001 was curtailed fairly quickly. (This website has some amazing videos of Kira's technology that are plucked right from the VHS glory of the mid-90s)
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Exhibit at the UK's definitive and most influential 3D printing and additive manufacturing event, TCT 3Sixty.
DMEC's website
There are plenty more systems out of Japan that were around in the early days of Rapid Prototyping, in fact, until the mid-to-late 2000s Japan was 2nd only to the U.S. for number of machine installs. So what happened in the meantime for experts like Mr Sawakoshi Toshiyuki to suggest that the country is now way behind the curve?
Graham Tromans thinks one reason may be that the Japanese companies were put off the industry by the litigious goings on in the west between the likes of EOS and 3D Systems, this opinion would be reasonable considering a company like Keyence only sells its polymer jetting UV curing 3D printers in Japan and Germany, citing patent issues when asked about its availability globally.
An alternative theory could be that the Japanese market is not behind whatsoever, some in the industry believe that many companies using the technologies for manufacturing here are simply more closed off and less willing to share case studies for fear of competition. The most recent Wohler's report would certainly back that up, it suggests that over 30% of machine installs in the Asia/Pacific region is here in Japan.
Another of yesterday's keynotes, David Burns, suggested in a panel session that the fact Japan still has a strong traditional manufacturing base means that Japan may be at an advantage when it comes to the productionisation of additive workflows into existing infrastructures, something which the U.S. has struggled with.
One thing that is clear here at TCT Japan is that Japanese OEM manufacturers are way beyond copycat SLA systems, with Mimaki's impressive colour platform, Nikon's new metal system, the likes of DMG Mori, Mazak, Sodick and co all with hybrid metal systems, perhaps the Japanese market will reveal those hidden treasures sooner rather than later?
