The prototype solution business launched by Hokkaido University together with Nippon Light Metal Co., Ltd., a major aluminum manufacturer, has been well received outside the university, including private companies.We provide the machine tool technology and advanced machine tool cultivated in the past research, and the supply destinations are not only companies but also national research institutes such as Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology.
According to Hokkaido University, the prototype solution business started in June 2016 through industry-academia collaboration of the equipment support center maintenance business of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.We are building a mechanism to provide Hokkaido University's cutting-edge craftsmanship and know-how to off-campus, making prototypes, and accepting technical consultations.
So far, we have accepted inquiries via word of mouth and the website of Nippon Light Metals.There were more than 10 requests and income of about 150 million yen, but from September, the homepage of Nippon Light Metals was renewed, and a new business of Hokkaido University appeared as special content.For this reason, the Global Facility Center of the Institute for Creative Research, Hokkaido University can now receive requests directly.
Through many years of research activities, Hokkaido University has accumulated technologies that are not inferior to those of the town factory, which excels in machine work, flakes, and glass work.In addition to thinning rocks to a thickness of 30 micrometers, we are developing a device that stretches samples in two axial directions on a microscope.The income earned is used to improve the skills of technical staff and to purchase equipment.
