From Shimane to the world... KYOWA helps Kiguchi Technics provide global-standard material testing

Yasugi City, Shimane. Long known as the "City of Steel," Yasugi once flourished as an industrial area for the steel industry, and it is here where one can find a company called Kiguchi Technics. The company provides third-party testing services evaluating materials for clients in various industries and fields including aerospace, medical, and energy, and plays an important role in supporting world-renowned Japanese manufacturing. To learn more about the company's involvement with KYOWA, we spoke with Yuya Kaneda of the Engineering Development Section of the Testing Division at Kiguchi Technics.

Strain gages: Crucial for material testing

Tell us about your company’s business.

We are the largest independent material testing laboratory in Japan, and our integrated system covers everything from test piece machining to material testing. We evaluate materials used in a wide range of industries including vehicles and energy, although most of our work focuses on the aerospace field. For example, a customer might send us some engine blade material for testing. We would machine some test pieces, evaluate their durability and strength, and then provide a report summarizing our findings. We can handle everything from machining test pieces to testing materials in-house. That's our greatest strength, along with the fact that no other company so far operates at our scale.

How is KYOWA involved with Kiguchi Technics?

We need extremely precise sensors to accurately evaluate the strength and other characteristics of the materials we receive from our customers, and the best devices for the job are KYOWA strain gages. We use strain gages to measure extremely small amounts of deformation in materials. We also use load cells to measure force, and other KYOWA products such as UCAM Series data loggers to collect various measurement data.

Could you tell us what led you to use KYOWA products?

We fully launched our material testing service around 2003, and when we were looking for strain gages the first company that comes to mind: KYOWA. It's a highly respected brand in the industry. Of course, that speaks to the company's reliability. We also like that we can use KYOWA sensors together with a data logger for multipoint measurements, such as measuring 10 or even 20 points. The data loggers are also very easy to use.

Could you tell us more about how easy the data loggers are to use?

I like how easy the software is to use. For example, you can easily have it zoom in on the strain or load at a particular point. We often have the customer with us when testing, and it's great to be able to show the measured strain on a material graphically and in real-time so that the customer can see exactly what they want to see. We have had more online meetings with customers during testing lately, and this solution allows us to share information more persuasively, such as showing full-screen figures or graphs on the screen.

KYOWA provides close support to address concerns and issues

What do you think are some of the greatest features and strengths of KYOWA strain gages?

I think one strength is that KYOWA has released a wide range of strain gages capable of measuring on two axes and in high-temperature environments. The parts found in the engines of the aircraft and vehicles we test and evaluate must withstand extremely high-temperature environments. KYOWA strain gages allow us to make highly accurate measurements even in these kinds of environments. So, in that sense, these strain gages are crucial for our core business of material testing.

How was the support you received?

Extremely thorough. I like how closely KYOWA responds to our issues and concerns. For example, if there's something wrong with how the data logger is communicating, it's easy to get into contact and work with support to resolve the issue. They always get back to us quickly with suggestions or similar cases they've had in the past. We also interact regularly with KYOWA. Last year, we held a technical get-together to discuss some issues we've been having, and we were also given a tour of their strain gage production location in Yamagata.

Pride in technology used throughout the world, and a desire to keep innovating

Please share your future aspirations, and your collaborative efforts with KYOWA.

First, I'd like us to continue to expand our core business, which is aviation, and become one of the top companies in the industry. Quality standards are extremely strict in the aviation business, and if we can clear those standards, we could then apply our technologies in other fields including vehicles and energy. Customer needs are becoming more diverse, and it can sometimes be difficult to measure properly using conventional sensors. One example is when testing the lifespan of parts used in the rotating systems of flying cars, which have been in the news lately. I hope we can work together with KYOWA to discuss how we can cover new market needs like this, and create new technologies together.

Finally, what do you find most worthwhile about working at Kiguchi Technics?

It makes everything worthwhile when a customer thanks us. If we receive an order that seems impossible, instead of refusing, we'd rather do what we can to make the impossible possible. When a customer thanks us for doing something like this, it makes it feel like all the hard work was worth it. We're a global company, we've got technology that's used all over the world, and we're located right here in Shimane. I'm very proud of that, and I want to do what I can to contribute to society.