Daikin invests in composite materials technology

JAPAN: Daikin has invested in Japanese metal matrix composite materials manufacturer Advanced Composites Corporation to advance the application of the technology to air conditioning equipment parts.

Daikin is one of a number of companies to have underwritten a $7.2m third-party allotment of new shares in the Fuji-City-based startup company.

Advanced Composites Corporation develops and manufactures metal-based composite materials, mainly aluminium, and composite materials with strengths in metal joining technology. 

Daikin’s Technology Innovation Centre and Production Technology Centre have been collaborating with Advanced Composites since 2019 with the aim of improving the performance of compressors.

Aluminium composite materials are said to achieve strengths comparable to that of cast iron while maintaining the lightweight characteristic of aluminium. In addition, the company’s molten metal forging technology (a processing method in which semi-molten metal is shaped by applying pressure) makes it possible to produce these materials at low cost. 

Daikin maintains that reducing the weight of compressor parts will reduce the amount of power consumed when air conditioners are operating.