Business Guide

MESSAGE

Meeting
Every Challenge,Past and Future.

Norihiro Irie, President

1Since its founding in 1966, Irie Koken(IKC) has been growing steadily, while
primarily engaged in the manufactureof metal bellows and related application products. These include, forexample, welded bellows that expand
and contract in a variety of angles
while keeping the atmosphere out ofthe vacuum. At IKC we have at our
disposal proprietary design technologies, as well as ultraprecision welding
technologies and unwavering confidence that “although appearances
may be copied, it would not be
possible to reproduce the performanceof our products”.
IKC has been exhibiting strengths
primarily in niche fields in which othercompanies have not been involved. Inorder to respond to the needs of ourcustomers in such fields it has beennecessary to bring together existing
technologies and develop new innovative technologies, which involve a
process of repeated trial and error.
This is also true for our vacuum valves,
which are one of our principal products
at the present time. Development forthese valves began at a stage when nobusinesses were willing to respond tothese needs and the founder of ourcompany decided to take on thechallenge as he felt that “this could beinteresting”.
IKC considers itself a “research anddevelopment type enterprise aiming
for a global reach”. The company has
been proactively participating innumerous national projects, such as
the large-scale synchrotron orbitalradiation facility SPring-8, or thebreak-even plasma test device JT-60,
while providing special metal bellows
and various devices, which arecertainly indicative of the company’sidentity.
It has been nearly half a century since
the company was founded and we aresetting ourselves a grandiose policy ofbecoming “an enterprise that
continues to exist for a century andthen for centuries”. In order for abusiness to continue for centuries it isnecessary to supply what is neededby the world at all times. The world’s
needs change rapidly over time, thus
we need to continue taking on thechallenges of technological innova-tions and management reforms, while
addressing the needs of our customers
in a serious manner.
We implemented Theory Of
Constraints (TOC) into the productionlines of the Nakayama Works. Consequently the production capability
tripled over a short period and subsequently we were the first Japanese
small and medium-sized business inJapan to be awarded by the AGI
Goldratt-Institute of the United States
as a “case example of noteworthy
successful implementation in a country
outside the United States”.
The basis that led to such success is
nothing more than each and every
employee’s passion for craftsmanship.
Employees who appreciate the joy ofcraftsmanship make full use of theirtechniques and skills to bring forth
reliable products, which in turn gain
great trust from our customers. IKC
promises to faithfully execute the“Corporate Philosophy” and “ThreeTargets”, while ensuring to fulfill themission of bringing forth products
required by society.

CorporatePhilosophy

High-speed railway (started deliveries in 1972)

Lunar orbiter satellite KAGUYA (SELENE)

We aim to realize an “enterprise thatcontinues to exist for a century” by
capturing the hearts of our customers
and ensuring that our products areused for a long time, providing ourcustomers perfect products, with asmuch service as possible.

Three Targets
Bring out superior individualities
Compete with reliability andtechnology
Share the joy of creating

NATIONAL PROJECTSIKC supplies various devices fornumerous scientific experimental
facilities promoted by the national
government of Japan. Precious
research results obtained throughsuch efforts are fed back into adiverse range of products.

Source: ⒸJAXAConservators are devices mounted on Shinkansen trains which facilitate safe running byenabling adjustments to volumetric changes insilicon oil of the traction transformers.

Source: RIKEN

SPring-8 (started deliveries in 1992)

We have supplied aluminum bellows for SPring-8,
as well as welded bellows for the vacuum sealing
undulators used at XFEL (nicknamed SACLA).

Source: High Energy Accelerator Research Organization

KEKB (started deliveries in 1995)

Products, such as SR monitors for taking themeasurements of beam profiles using synchrotron orbital radiation, have been delivered.

(launched in 2007)

Our attenuators are mounted on Okina andOuna, Rstar and Vstar sub-satellites of SELENE,
to control the swinging motions.

Source: JAEA/KEK J-PARC Center

J-PARC (started deliveries in 2004)

Titanium formed bellows, with a high degree ofdifficulty, as well as beam profile monitors, havebeen delivered.

2BUSINESS SEGMENT

Innovating cutting-edge technologies
in a broad array of fields tofurther improve the quality of life.
Contributing to a society with more abundance.
IKC continues with untiring research and development, as well as technological innovations, starting from themanufacture of bellows and expansion/contraction joints, in order to achieve original technological abilities that areexhibited also in the field of vacuums. From semiconductors and liquid crystals to space applications, highly
reliable products of IKC are adopted in a diverse range of fields.

Semiconductors
We supply reliable high-vacuum components used in silicon semiconductors where manufacturing by microfabrication continues toprogress. We also deliver compound semiconductors through a
unified framework that extends from design to the manufacture ofcomponents created from GaAs, GaN, SiC and sapphire
substrates. These components become core devices for items
such as high-intensity LEDs and EVs.
Supported Products
Metal Bellows, Gate Valves, Chambers, Linear/Rotary Feedthroughs

Flat Panel Displays
We supply high-vacuum gate valves, rectangular bellows andvarious metal bellows for large-screen LCD TVs, organic EL
displays, touch panels and other high-definition displays. IKC has
a major share of large valve manufacture in Japan, which are key
components in large-screen LCD products.

Supported Products
Metal Bellows, Gate Valves

Photovoltaic Solar Cells
Contributions are made to the manufacture of highly efficient solar
cells, ranging from silicon crystals to compound crystals, as wellas thin film solar cells of CIS or CIGS, etc. The FFT series gatevalves, intended for film depositing equipment for flexible
substrates that support the roll-to-roll process, have been put into
commercial production.

Supported Products
Metal Bellows, Gate Valves and Angle Valves3

Medical Devices
The manufacturing of medical devices, including MRIs and freeze
dryers, often involve the use of superconducting and refrigeration
technologies. Metal bellows, which are produced in a clean environment and feature pressure-tightness and airtightness, are able toexhibit true values even under specialized conditions, such as low
temperatures and high pressures.

Supported Products
Metal BellowsSource: National Institute of Radiological Sciences

Accelerators and Nuclear Fusion
Products are supplied through participation in major nationalprojects, such as motion drives for beam monitoring of theelectron-positron collider (KEK), large-scale synchrotron radiation
facilities, as well as the nuclear fusion Satellite Tokamak Project(JAEA). Contributions are made to the progress of science withsophisticated vacuum technologies.

Supported Products
Metal Bellows, Beam Diagnostic Devices and Chamber
Source: JAEA/KEK J-PARC Center

Railways
The company boasts an overwhelming market share for conservators that absorb volumetric changes in silicon oils used in alternating current transformers of high-speed railroad rolling stock,such as Shinkansen, as well as weight measuring instruments
related to brake controls for container bogies. (IKC considers theexpansion of railway business to be important.)

Supported Products
Conservators, Load Sensing Valves, I-type Flexible Pipes and Metal Bellows

Aerospace
The technologies of IKC expand even to the aerospace field, withthe manufacture of bellows for rockets and launch support facilities. Vacuum technologies nurtured over many years are used inapplications, such as nutation dampers that inhibit the spinning ofartificial satellites.

Supported Products
Metal Bellows and Metal Pipe Fitting

4PRODUCTS

BELLOWS
Bellows manufacturing technologies at IKC bring high quality and added value
to bellows for ultra-high vacuum applications, as well as equipment for railway
rolling stock.

5■ Welded Bellows■ Formed Bellows■ Welded Bellows With RF Contacts■ Titanium Formed Bellows(pump ports with RF shield bellows on both ends)

The basic technologies of IKC are derived from the manufacture of metal
bellows. The emphasis is placed particularly on the vacuum field, where highperformance and reliability are required, with high evaluations received for
precision bellows.
“Elasticity”, “air-tightness” and “durability” are characteristics combined todeliver not only expansion/contraction joints for piping, but also for applications in a wide range of fields including semiconductors and liquid crystals, aswell as particle accelerators, nuclear fusion reactors, nuclear power plants,
railways, medical applications, construction and others.
Demand for various equipment that dictates safe and secure operations, whilecompletely shutting out external air, are diverse, yet IKC has established aflexible production framework that caters to every customer’s needs.

■ Specialized Shape Welded Bellows■ Large Welded Bellows■ Large Rectangular Welded Bellows■ Large Titanium Formed Bellows(Big-BPM)

6

PRODUCTS

Gate Valves
A stable sealing performance is made possible with proprietary technologies
as represented by the differential pressure cancellation structure. Flexible
responses are possible for customized designs also.

■ Circular Gate Valve MARINA(gate size: 320A)■ FFT ValveFlexible Substrates Step-to-Roll■ KOSLARZE

R

Next-generation Semiconductors and Organic EL(gate size: 100 X 500)

■ Compact KOSLARZESemiconductors(gate size: 50 X 336)

7

Vacuum valves are used to compartmentalize and adjust the pressures ofindividual vacuum chambers in the manufacture of displays and semiconductor
substrates. By eliminating friction to maintain a particle-free environment, IKC
succeeded in the development of KOSLARZE I, the first of its kind to be
developed in Japan. We then created a series of frictionless valve productswith higher performance, releasing KOSLARZE II. Technologies resulting fromadvances in semiconductor manufacturing and vacuum equipment have beenfurther refined for application in the supersizing of glass substrates in flat panel
display manufacturing equipment. The GARIVA supersized gate valve incorporates a differential pressure cancellation structure to realize the commercial
production of products with an gate size of 3,000 mm or more, for the first timein the world.
In addition, we have also developed high value-added valves for flexible
substrates of the next generation in order to continue supplying products thatalways satisfy our customers.

■ KOSLARZE

Solar Cells and FPDs (gate size: 50 X 1320)■ GARIVA

Largesized Gate ValveFPD Vertical Conveyor (gate size: 300 X 1800)■ GARIVA

Supersized Gate Valve
Large-scale FPD (gate size: 150 X 3000)

8PRODUCTS

Vacuum Equipment
Technologies refined through participation in national projects are resulting inproducts with superior applications in the ultra-high vacuum field.

■ High-vacuum Angle Valves■ Linear/Rotary Feedthroughs

9■ Flexible Tubes■ Proton Beam Profile Monitor (variable drive type)Vacuum technologies nurtured through participation in numerous nationalprojects, such as J-PARC or JT-60SA and the manufacture of specialized
bellows for the connection of beam profile monitors and beam ducts, areutilized in the design and fabrication of vacuum chambers for various vacuum
equipment, feedthroughs for long strokes, as well as vacuum units for variousequipment.
Raising the level of such technologies forms the foundation of IKC. We believethat our promotion of green innovations in vacuum technologies that support
the manufacture of devices, for which higher integrations and higher definitions
are occurring, such as with VLSI or organic EL, contributes greatly to therealization of a sustainable society.

■ Clamp Couplings■ Pipe Fittings■ Vacuum Chamber■ Large Assembled Chamber (size: 2000 X 2000)

With Flat Seal Valve (gate size 100 X 1500)

10HibiyaKokusai Building 414, 2-2-3 Uchisaiwaicho,Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0011, Japan
Tel : 03-3507-9611 Fax : 03-3507-9615
http://www.ikc.co.jp/