KADO Co., Ltd | High Performance Composites Technology KADO

Since our company was founded, we have actively conducted research and development in the field of FRP (fiber reinforced plastic). We have established our position as a research and development company among the large businesses and various types of research institutes that compete to develop new materials and technologies. Despite being a small company, we have entered the limelight with technologies such as our very own VaRTM technology. Every day, we are engaged in research and development with “never giving up easily and challenging new technologies and projects" as our motto.

The reason our company is so widely known in the composite material industry is because of the VaRTM molding method that we developed. With the VaRTM molding method, resins are put into a vacuum state, poured into a mold, and then hardened by applying heat to them. This method has existed for several decades, but our company has devised a pouring method which makes the resin permeate evenly; we have the leading knowledge in molding as a whole. As a result of this method, we have received a reputation as a company that can accomplish high-quality products which are described as 'beautiful'. By improving product manufacturing with VaRTM molding technology, we have entered the automobile, aerospace and aircraft industries, which seek higher quality.

Our company has been working on every FRP (fiber reinforced plastic) in response to requests from customers. Currently, we are using the knowledge we have fostered over the years and focusing all of our efforts on developing FRTP(fiber-reinforced thermoplastic), which is what we specialize in. The demand for FRTP, which is suited for mass production, is increasing, and processing and molding technology for practical use has been desired in many fields. It is a physical change that is not accompanied by a molecular structure change, so by repeatedly heating and cooling the resin, the resin is able to be renewed, showing promise as a recyclable material.

The demand for mass production and automation in the composite material industry is becoming stronger. Among the various composite material molding methods our company has worked on, we have begun to develop technologies for manufacturing methods and production lines that are optimal for each material, auxiliary material and process condition. We have pioneered this industry, established molding methods that implement robots and machinery, and realized an automated production system. We respond to the request of each customer with pinpoint accuracy and propose process designs and production equipment designs to ensure our customers' operations. We provide the design, assembly, training, sales and maintenance for materials handling equipment that creates robotic hands, mounts cutting blade machinery, and passes material through a press machine, takes them out of the press and then cuts it. We install your equipment, starting with a single unit. Drawing on the accomplishments and knowledge we have in the yacht, automobile and aircraft industries, we will aim to find the optimum combination of raw materials and molding method, continue to develop automatic composite material molding equipment, and realize a faster, more accurate automatic mass production.

In the future, we want to use the knowledge we have that cannot be imitated by other companies and strive to create advanced composite materials that are suitable for every industry, while pursuing and deepening VaRTM methods. We will also aim to reduce costs, improve quality, and increase functionality, and hope to contribute to society and the environment by developing and supplying advanced composite materials that can be used widely, not just within this field or within Japan. In order to achieve this, our efforts to gather information, research and develop will never dwindle, and we will "Never get hung up on doing things our way." In other words, we intend to respond to the customer's request and conditions and work vigorously towards researching and developing with a flexible imagination.

Yasunari Kuratani, Pepresentive Director

Founder Yasunari Kuratani has enjoyed everything associated with the Ocean ever since he was a child. In 1994, at the age of 20, he became involved in shipbuilding. The following year, he went abroad to New Zealand, the leading country in yachts, where he learned advanced shipbuilding, techniques. After completing his three years of study, Yasunari returned to Japan and experienced building yachts and inspecting ships as a member of the shore team of the Japan Challenge Team in the America's Cup 2000. In June of 2000, after the competition had ended, Yasunari founded 'KADO Marine' (now 'KADO Co., Ltd' ) with the initial purpose of building, repairing and selling yachts.

2000

Constructed sailing dinghies (boats used in the national championships)

Repaired racing yachts Manufactured powerboat parts Researched and developed new FRP molding technologies

2006

Company name changed to 'KADO Corporation'

Air-conditioning installed in the second and third floor workshops

2009

Manufactured 'partial fuselage component test specimen for moldability evaluation hybrid molding'

Japan Society for Composite Materials Received '2008 Technology Award' with co-winner, JAXA (for developing VaRTM manufacturing technology for use in aircraft structures)

2013

'Researching and developing a speed break demonstrator test specimen for hybrid moldability evaluation'