Kakinuma Laboratory - Next-Generation System Design Utilizing Functional Materials

At the 10th Keio Techno-Mall, held in December 2009, the Aoyama & Kakinuma Laboratory presented an exhibit on nano/micro-machining and electro-adhesive elastomers based on production engineering. In the field of nano/micro-machining technology, we are proposing the fabrication of microfluidic chips using cryogenic cooling cutting.

With conventional room-temperature cutting, it was not possible to create grooves in viscoelastic polymer materials. The Aoyama & Kakinuma Laboratory has succeeded in forming high-precision microgrooves through cryogenic cutting, achieving a level of accuracy where chips can be clearly observed.

Furthermore, we are also tackling the development of the equipment used to produce these chips. In recent years, we have successfully developed a system that can estimate and monitor cutting forces during machining using only the internal sensors of the machine tool, a task that previously required external sensors.