by Shun Otsuki
President & Editor in Chief KINSAN FASTENER NEWS 

Die maker Nisshin Seiki (Kasukabe City, Saitama Prefecture) has launched a new laser texturing business with the introduction of a femto lasers microfabrication machine.

Femto lasers perform ultra-low heat processing by the ablation phenomenon through irradiation of ultrashort laser pulses at femtosecond intervals. This enables micron-level microfabrication, which is not possible with ordinary metal processing.

Aiming to expand its business, the company launched the Laser Texturing Division, an in-house venture separated from the die and mold business. Using a business restructuring subsidy, the company invested approximately 90 million yen to introduce equipment such as a femto laser microfabrication machine, a non-contact 3D measuring machine, and a constant-temperature room.

Using this equipment, the company is performing texture processing and micro-cutting on titanium, cemented carbide, and stainless steel materials, and is exploring user demand. Various colors and textures can be expressed on metal surfaces only by laser processing. It is said that there are only a few femto lasers microfabrication machines in Japan, and the company has already started business with inquiries from corporate R&D and art-related fields.

The launch of the new business was prompted by a sense of crisis in the business environment. President Minoru Nakamura said "The automotive and other industries are undergoing major changes, and I felt that it would be too late to move on after 10 years. In order to survive, we needed to introduce machines that no one else had"

The new division currently consists of President Nakamura and a staff of two. While laser processing is often used for specialized machines for specific products, the company is developing a new machine to meet a wide variety of needs by increasing its versatility.