This document has been archived. Title : INT 96-03 . Emerging Manufacturing Technologies and Research Activities in Japan Type : International Document NSF Org: SBE / INT Date : February 5, 1996 File : int9603 The National Science Foundation's offices in Tokyo and in Paris periodically report on developments abroad that are related to the Foundation's mission. These documents present facts for the use of NSF program managers and policy makers; they are not statements of NSF policy. NSF TOKYO OFFICE Report Memorandum #96-2 January 19, 1996 EMERGING MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES AND RESEARCH ACTIVITIES IN JAPAN This report was written by Dr. Jay Lee, Program Director in NSF's Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers Program, who spent six months (June-December 1995) in Japan as a visiting researcher at the Mechanical Engineering Laboratory of the Agency of Industrial Science and Technology, Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI). His research stay in Japan was supported by NSF and a Science and Technology Agency of Japan fellowship. Questions regarding this report should be directed to Dr. Lee at jalee@nsf.gov. At the threshold of the 21st century, manufacturing industries in the world are challenged by a set of common issues: aging population, environmental protection, and manufacturing globalization. As Japan continues its leadership in manufacturing toward the 21st century, innovation is needed to create new high value-added industry. Currently, government and industry are undertaking many major initiatives to implement new manufacturing technologies and striving to maintain Japan's leadership for the future. This report describes activities on the development of emerging manufacturing technologies, such as micromachine and ecofactory, which are currently underway through major initiatives. In addition, technology in support of the manufacturing globalization activities for Japan's industry is also examined. MICROMACHINE AND MICRO MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY A micromachine is an extremely small machine comprising minute (several millimeters or less) yet highly sophisticated functional elements that allow it to perform delicate and complicated tasks. Micromachines have many potential uses across many industrial spectra, particularly in areas demanding sophisticated, advanced maintenance technology in response to increasingly complex and precise machine systems and advanced medical technology for remote surgery . Micro manufacturing is a process which consists of a variety of micromachines to make micro mechatronics products. In the United States, similar research activities such as the Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) and Micro System Technology (MST) are primarily focusing on the manufacturing of micro devices integrated with microelectronics devices on the same substrate, such as air bag sensors. In contrast, research activities in Japan focus more on micro engineering and micromachines for mechatronics manufacturing such as micro motors, micro gears, micro pumps, and micro robots for medical and industrial applications. Meanwhile, Sumitomo Electronic Industries Ltd., utilizing a similar small facility, has developed a technology for fine-scale processing of ceramic parts for micromachining. The Micromachine Center (MMC) was founded in January 1992 to promote the MITI Micromachine Technology Project. The project funds are given by the MITI to NEDO (New Energy & Industrial Technology Development Organization) which, in turn, awards funds to the Micromachine Center. The latter then contracts to individual companies. Three government institutes have been participating in the project, namely, the Mechanical Engineering Laboratory, Electrotechnical Laboratory, and National Research Laboratory of Metrology. Three industrial applications were selected for phase I of the project during 1991-1995 at an amount of 10 billion yen. They are as follows: 1) Advanced Maintenance System for Power Plants This is a micromachine system for the maintenance of fine tubes in power plants. The system consists of a microcapsule, a base machine, an inspection module and an operation module. Necessary mechanical components (e.g., microscopic power generator and energy transmitter) of the system have been specified. The component devices are being fabricated. 2) Medical Micromachines Micromachines are applicable to examination and treatment inside the body cavity. A micromachine will possibly be inserted through a catheter for diagnosing and curing, for example,cerebral thrombosis and aneurysm. Component devices of such medical machines are being fabricated. 3) Microfactories Engineering A system for manufacturing tiny precision parts of watches, cameras, and electronic appliances with much smaller production equipment is needed. The system will greatly reduce energy consumption in production. The miniature equipment should be no larger than 2-10 times the size of the product. Component devices of the equipment are being fabricated. Selected Micromachine Research Activities in Japan Traditionally micromachining has been mainly applied to the fabrication of micro sensors and micro actuators using silicon as the substrate material. However, technologies are required to fabricate mechanical structures out of metals, ceramics, and other materials using evolutionary CAD/CAM processes. Processing knowledge in micro machining, micro assembly, and micro inspection needs to be studied to investigate the feasibilities in the manufacturing of micro products. Some selected current research activities are described as follows: 1) Micro-Grinding of Micromachine Parts The development of micromachines requires first the production of very small machine parts, i.e., micromechanical components, which are then used to produce miniaturized machine mechanisms. These components used in sub-millimeter systems and micrometer systemsmust be produced through conventional machining methods. A micro-cylindrical grinding experiment was performed using a small precision lathe. A gear-shaped micro component with a diameter of 0.5 mm in diameter has been ground by using a miniaturized cylindrical micro-grinding machine. The Mechanical Engineering Laboratory of MITI has successfully demonstrated the fabrication of a micro gear by using a cylindrical micro-grinding operation. 2) Micro Assembly Micro assembly technology is a new and still undefined term. This term may be used in different ways by researchers in different fields. In general, today's semiconductor processing technologies, such as photolithography and the LIGA (Lithographie-Galvanoformung-Abformung) process, are used for manufacturing but not assembling micromachine parts. Micro assembly technology is an important future technology for assembling micromachine parts into a module or system. To achieve this goal, gripper and manipulator are used to hold small objects. Other manipulation methods using electromagnetic or ultrasonic fields and atom handling also show promise. Bonding is another potential method for producing micromachines. It includes the technology for bonding a group of devices collectively in wafer levels as well as the technology for bonding each component sequentially. By this method, sample structures containing an internal cavity, such as capacitive pressure sensors or micro pumps have been produced at the Mechanical Engineering Lab of MITI. Prototypes have been demonstrated by companies such as Matsushita, Toshiba, Hitachi,and Fuji Electronics. 3) Micro Inspection In addition to the micromachining and micro assembly technologies, the micro inspection technology is another critical area to support the micromachine system. This involves research into microsensors, microactuators, and micromotion control systems. Nippondenso has developed a micro inspection machine which is packaged with a light-weight thin film structure. It includes a piezoelectric actuator which moves the inspection machine backwards and forwards. An eddy-current flaw sensor, which is capable of detecting cracks of a few micrometers, is mounted on the machine. The micromachine has a diameter of 5.5 mm and weighs about 1 gram. Case Example-Microcar Nippondenso's microcar was produced with precision machining and semiconductor process technologies. The intention was to demonstrate the abilities and potential of the micro processing technology, by manufacturing a car which is one-thousandth of the size of an actual car. In the beginning, Nippondenso was unable to incorporate gears into the car body. The latest model has a micro motor 1 mm in diameter. With power supplied by a 25 micron copper wire, the car runs smoothly at a speed of about 1 cm/sec with 3V voltage and 20 mA current. The body is made through electroless nickel plating and sacrificial layer etching, and the surface is gold plated. It is 30 microns thick yet strong enoughto be picked up by the fingers. The microcar is a successful example of the 3D fabrication of micromachine manufacturing technology. The minicar was not able to run due to the heavy body weight. As a result, a thin shell structure was produced to modify the design. First an aluminum male die with three-dimensional sculptured surfaces using a machining center, plated it with an alkali solution, and obtained a body structure made of nickel thin film. The body was finally completed by gold plating. The completed minicar with shell body structure has a length of 4.8 mm, width of 1.8 mm, and height of 1.8 mm. Benefits gained from the fabrication of the microcar include improvement of the dimensional accuracy for three-dimensional sculptured surfacing, techniques for reduction of damage to machine surface, and methodologies for making minute molds and dies through conventional CAD/CAM processes. In addition, understanding was obtained on assembly technologies including the fixtures, tools, and bonding which are critical elements for the microfactory system. Future Prospects Standardization through international cooperation is an urgent issue. Countries involved in micromachine technology should begin discussions aimed at developing standardization procedures. In addition, advances in exploitation of applications, in parallel with research and development, will accelerate the research on micromachines. Micromachine technology is now being applied in various fields where microfabrication is combined with conventional technologies. In the next five years, I foresee that integrated micromachine systems will be put into practical use for medical purposes and instrumentation. A processing industry based on processing and assembling technologies as well as a functional device and machine manufacturing industry should be cultivated to accommodate many new fields of application. ECOFACTORY - RECYCLING MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY The trends of the late 20th century are the explosive growth of electronics and information technology products, and the pervasive concerns for environmental protection. Manufacturing wastes and the environmental impact of products are issues that the Japanese manufacturing industry takes very seriously from both environmental and business perspectives. The most important present-day environmental problem in Japan is waste. Two main reasons can be identified: 1) Japan has a severe shortage of land-fill sites. The MITI has stated that in seven years, Japan will have no more space for the dumping of industrial waste. 2) The extraordinary high price of land, which makes waste dumping extremely expensive. Nowadays, 20 percent of the waste is dumped untreated. The objective is to decrease the percentage to 0 percent before the year 2000. The MITI has issued strong guidelines which have been developed by industrial organizations for their specific products. The guidelines relate to products, and are to be applied at the design and development stage in order to minimize the environmental burden in the product life cycle. In addition, an eco labeling system was established in Japan in 1989. The goal is to widely disseminate information on the environmental aspects of products and to urge consumers to choose environmentally sound products. The development of recycling manufacturing technology is an equally important response to environmental concerns. The following section describes the ecofactory activities in Japan. MITI initiated an "Ecologically Conscious Factory" or "Ecofactory" project in 1992 with a 10-year R&D program budgeted at 15-20 billion Yen. The research concentrates on developing production system and restoration system factories. The production system factory focuses on the product design and the materials processing, machining, and assembly stages of the product life cycle. The restoration system factory is concerned with the recycling and disposal of materials at the end of their life. In addition, the Ministry of Education, the Science and Technology Agency, and MITI have jointly launched a full-scale R&D project on "inverse factory" designed to recycle consumed and discarded goods. This will be carried out on a scale very similar to that of existing factories. The project is aimed at realizing a type of society capable of maintaining harmony with its environment. The concept of the Ecofactory essentially consists of a production system factory and a restoration factory. The five basic technologies assumed in the application of Ecofactory are: 1) Global Concurrent Product Design Technology, including tools for waste burden modeling, waste burden data base, design for recycling materials, and ecoprocess planning. 2) Waste Reduction Technology, including re-engineered production techniques and methods on machining and assembly. 3) Automatic Disassembly Robot System, including methodologies for recognition and disassembly. 4) Material Recycling Technology, including techniques for sorting and processing of recycled metallic and non-metallic materials. 5) Ecofactory System Technology, including tools for the design, control, and monitoring of the operation of the Ecofactory. The Association for Home Electric Appliances (AHEA), a non-profit organization, has been established by MITI and Japan's home appliances manufacturers. AHEA has decided to launch a new 4-year R&D project for the development of an "Integrated System for Disposal of Home Appliances" at a total budget of 5 billion Yen. The targeted appliances include TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, and air-conditioners. The estimated disposal volume for the recycling factory is about 150,000 appliances per year (which is about 1% of all the home appliances discarded every year in Japan). A pilot plant will be built for demonstration by 1998. Toyota just announced an auto disassembly manufacturing menu in October 1995 to assist industry to establish recycle technology in body disassembly. In this report, specifications and instructions about the sequence of the disassembly of the automobile are illustrated. In 1990, Honda established the "Recycle Committee," and a Bumper Recycling Program has been developed to collect used bumpers for remanufacturing. Many parts have been produced from recycled materials. For example, hose joint protectors on the Prelude model, splash shields on the Accord model, and rear bumper stiffeners on the Legend model. Honda also indicated that some material manufacturers have threatened the program by developing virgin materials that are comparably less expensive than the recycled parts. Aisin Seiki Co. and The Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, Inc. have jointly studied the recycling technology of fiber reinforced plastic parts. A sunroof housing has been manufactured by using the recycled sheet molding compound (SMC) materials. Test results show that the recycled materials were similar to those of parts made from virgin material. In the home appliance industry, Hitachi has developed the Life Cycle Assessment (LSA) and Disassembly Evaluation Method (DEM) for its electrical appliances products. Through the application of LCA and DEM, it replaced the conventional plastic tub of the washer with a corrosion-free stainless steel tub in 1984. In contrast to the plastic tub, the ferrous materials are easy to recycle. This switch of materials also increased the dehydration speed from 800 rpm to 1000 rpm. In consequence, the operation time of the drying machine could be shortened by 20 percent. Another example is the Optically Remote-Controlled Vacuum Cleaner from Hitachi. A conventional rotary motor is replaced by a Pelton turbine that utilizes the flow of suction air. The switch cable also has been replaced by an infrared remote control so that the need for cables running through the hose has been completely eliminated. As a result, the number of parts and the time required for disassembly has been reduced about 30 percent. In conclusion, the approach of cleaner production, i.e. the practice of good corporate housekeeping and designing products in order to avoid waste before it is produced, should be promoted in the developing nations as an economically more feasible alternative to pollution control technology. MANUFACTURING GLOBALIZATION SUPPORT TECHNOLOGY The manufacturing industries in Japan are facing serious structural problems brought about by their rapid development of overseas activities and manufacturing factories. Factories among different regions need to be coordinated through state-of-the-art information technologies to insure consistent quality. As a result, manufacturing activities should be integrated and monitored from many regions and countries. For example, the performance of a machine should be monitored and accessed from anywhere in the world. In addition, information on productivity, diagnostics, and training of manufacturing systems should be shared among different locations of partners. Currently, research and experimental activities on operational environment transmission for manufacturing globalization are conducted at the Univ. of Tokyo to address these important issues. In general, remote manufacturing systems with operational environment transmission capability should incorporate the following functions: 1) Multi-sensor Integrated Monitoring and Control System: The display of information to operators in remote sites requires many different sensory output devices. The performance of machines should also be measured, monitored, and adjusted remotely. A "watchdog" agent has neural computers providing on-line composition and reasoning. 2) Communications and Integration: The remote manufacturing system should encompass a multimedia information environment for information processing and transferring among geographically dispersed participants. 3) Data Abstraction: The transmission of compressed data may require a physical model of the manufacturing process. As a result, with only modifications of the model parameters, information can be transmitted across the communication network. 4) Knowledge Acquisition and Learning: Intelligent tools are required for the acquisition and organization of the data in manufacturing processes to share with other manufacturing sites. In addition, the system should learn the behaviors of users from different sites. 5) Natural Language Translation: Tools are required for automated translation of texts between different languages. In the ideal case, the translation would be fully automated, highly accurate, stylistically perfect and applicable to many languages and many styles of text. 6) Tele-Maintenance and Collaborative Diagnostics: Multimedia- based Tools are required to support remote users for maintenance assistance. Interactive and collaborative tools will enable the technical personnel to perform diagnostics from a remote distance. The committee for the "Promotion of Advanced Information and Communications Society" has been established in the cabinet to make active efforts to formulate policy for the promotion of the information society. In addition, The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications has determined that it must train technical personnel who are able to plan, design, and manage a highly sophisticated network system in the future. An "Investigative Committee into the Manner of the Development of Personnel to Support Multimedia" has been established. This policy differs from earlier policies which tended to focus on hardware, and will be the first human resource development policy to train personnel to master software applications for the multimedia-based global information infrastructure (GII). As for manufacturing related research activities, a Teamworking Environment for Advanced Manufacturing (TEAM) program has also been developed by the Mechanical Engineering Lab. of MITI to establish a collaborative design and manufacturing network system for the manufacturing industries. The IMS program is another major activity in response to common problems in the manufacturing sector of industrialized nations. It addresses such challenges as: greater sophistication in manufacturing operations; global environment improvement; enhancement of the discipline of manufacturing; and provision of an opportunity for organizations of all sizes to respond to the globalization of manufacturing, facilitating the process of standardization. The IMS program was proposed by Japan in 1989. The feasibility study began in 1992. Five test case projects and one study project operated during the feasibility study phase. Technical topics included enterprise integration for global manufacturing, systemization of manufacturing knowledge, the control of distributed intelligent systems, techniques for rapid product distributed intelligent systems, and clean manufacturing in the process industry. Currently there are fifteen domestic feasibility study projects which were funded in 1994. They are: 1. Research on planning and evaluation methodologies for manufacturing systems. 2. Systematization of quality engineering and development of its software. 3. Development of technology and system architecture for intelligent information processing on next generation manufacturing system: biological manufacturing system. 4. Research on product distribution and standardization of its management technologies: remote ID system for automotive industry. 5. A study on metamorphic material system for factories. 6. Sensor-fused intelligent monitoring system for machining. 7. Knowledge-based kernel and to set for designing intelligent assembly/disassembly systems. 8. Development of AI-applied sensory inspection system. 9. A study for development of intelligent modules for assembly systems. 10. Research into metamorphic 3-D transportation system for heavy materials 11. Organizational aspects of human-machine co-existive systems. 12. Research into multi-functional machining system technology for agile manufacturing. 13. Research on integrated models for developing advanced manufacturing systems. 14. Holonic manufacturing system. 15. Knowledge systematization: configuration system for design and manufacturing. Feasibility studies are aimed at developing and testing a framework for international collaboration and, more importantly, at proving whether a collaborative program in this area could be created and structured equitably and beneficially. It is expected that the results and experiences gained in the feasibility study will enable a decision on whether to establish a long-term program.