Articles from Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.

OKI Electric Cable (President: Hideo Yamaguchi, Head office: Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture), the OKI Group’s electric cable company, has developed a coaxial cable with a FAKRA (Note 1) connector for use as an interface cable for machine vision systems (Note 2) such as image inspection equipment. Targeting robots and the industrial FA industry, OKI Electric Cable plans to begin supplying samples in January 2025, with the start of mass production and shipping set for March 2025.

The OKI Group printed circuit board (PCB) business company OKI Circuit Technology (President: Masaya Suzuki; Headquarters: Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture; “OTC” hereinafter) has successfully developed multi-layer PCB technology with stepped copper coin insertion (“stepped copper coin” hereinafter) to achieve 55 times better heat dissipation compared to conventional PCB (Note 1). The stepped copper coin is offered in two types, circular and rectangular, to suit the shape of the electronic component mounted on the PCB. OTC is working to develop mass-production technologies with the aim of introducing PCBs incorporating this new technology into markets for compact devices or devices used in outer space or other environments where air cooling technology cannot be used.

Using silicon photonics technology for semiconductor optical circuits, OKI (TOKYO: 6703) has successfully developed an ultracompact photonic integrated circuit chip with a broad range of potential applications, including optical fiber sensors, laser vibrometers, and optical biosensors. This makes it possible to achieve ultra-miniaturization and low power consumption similar to LSI (Note 1), as well as dramatically lower costs through mass production of optical sensor modules. Optical sensors are a technology that uses optical fibers and optical waveguides with low light loss to detect, process, and transmit physical phenomena such as vibration, strain, and temperature in the form of light, and are themselves a green technology that realizes sensing while saving energy. Silicon photonics technology is a technology that can broaden the scope of applications for optical sensors previously limited to localized use, and is expected to make a significant contribution to the advancement of GX (Note 2).

OKI (TOKYO: 6703) recently received an order to produce units for satellites developed by Astroscale Japan Inc. (“Astroscale Japan”), a subsidiary of Astroscale Holdings Inc. (“Astroscale”), a market leader in satellite servicing and long-term orbital sustainability across all orbits. After evaluating evaluation samples and test samples, OKI will deliver the units in stages for demonstration.

OKI (TOKYO: 6703) is adopting the venture client model (“VCM”), which is currently gaining traction in Europe and the US, to promptly provide solutions to increasingly complex social issues—an approach taken as part of OKI’s efforts to rapidly incorporate leading global technologies into its business operations. Having established processes and an internal organization to implement VCM, the company has now begun working with 27pilots Deloitte GmbH (Head office: Munich, Germany; CEO: Gregor Gimmy).

OKI (TOKYO:6703) today announced that the OKI Group’s printed circuit board (PCB) company OKI Circuit Technology (“OTC”; President: Masaya Suzuki, Headquarters: Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture) will participate in the PCB West 2024 Conference & Exhibition (“PCB West”), scheduled to take place from October 8 to 11 in Silicon Valley, USA. OTC will approach this event with the goal of expanding its customer base and sales in overseas markets, particularly in the United States.

The OKI Group PCB business company OKI Circuit Technology (President: Masaya Suzuki, Headquarters: Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture) has set up a new ultra-high-multilayer PCB line at the Joetsu Plant in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture, with full-scale operations commencing in July. The PCBs produced are incorporated into equipment for manufacturing and testing semiconductors for applications involving AI, data centers, and next-generation communication networks. The new line enables high-precision and high-definition circuit formation which supports a via pitch (Note 1) of 0.23 mm, while increasing production capacity by approximately 1.4 times compared to previous levels and strengthening the capability for manufacturing of a wide variety of products in small quantities. The company aims to expand sales targeting manufacturers of semiconductor manufacturing and testing equipment.

OKI (TOKYO: 6703) has signed an Ecosystem Plus (Note 1) partnership agreement with a major US startup accelerator, Plug and Play, LLC (Founder & CEO: Saeed Amidi, Headquarters: Sunnyvale, California, USA), and commenced open innovation activities based in Silicon Valley in May. OKI plans to expand its activities centered in the US to other regions and promote collaborations with numerous startups. OKI aims to resolve increasingly serious social issues by incorporating technological innovations on a global scale and accelerating innovation.

OKI (TOKYO: 6703) has revised its FY2050 targets for global warming prevention in the OKI Group Environmental Vision 2030/2050 (“Environmental Vision” hereinafter) which sets forth medium- to long-term environmental goals. As a company committed to helping to resolve social issues under the key message “Delivering OK! to your life,” OKI aims to achieve net zero by eliminating CO2 emissions from its entire value chain, including its own sites.

OKI Electric Cable (President: Hideo Yamaguchi, Head Office: Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture), the OKI Group’s cable business company, has developed a new product called the High-Durability CoaXPress 2.0 Cable for use as an interface cable for robot vision, the “eyes” of industrial robots. In addition to the same sliding performance, a strength of the conventional product, this new product offers enhanced movement durability against bending and twisting (Note 1) to support industrial robots which repeat bending and twisting motions, as well as high-speed transmission performance. Sales start in March 2024, with a sales target of over 100 million yen for fiscal 2025.

OKI (TOKYO:6703) today published the English-language version of issue 242 of OKI Technical Review (*1), OKI’s technical journal. This issue’s special feature is "OKI’s Exponential Technologies towards the Future". It describes technologies intended to advance the Edge Platform, the main concept of OKI’s technology strategy for the years up to 2031 which was announced in November 2023.

OKI (TOKYO: 6703) has obtained SBT certification for the FY2030 greenhouse gas emission reduction targets set in OKI Environmental Vision, its medium-to-long-term environmental vision, from the international “Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) (Note 1)” as scientifically valid targets for achieving the 1.5°C target aimed at by the Paris Agreement. As the company committed to helping resolve social issues in accordance with its key message of “Delivering OK! to your life”, OKI seeks to achieve these targets not only at its own sites but also by promoting decarbonization during product use and at its suppliers.

OKI (TOKYO: 6703), in collaboration with Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Tokyo; President: Yasuhiko Saitoh; "Shin-Etsu Chemical"), has announced the successful development of a technology that uses OKI's CFB (crystal film bonding) technology (Note 1) to lift off only the GaN (gallium nitride) functional layer from Shin-Etsu Chemical's uniquely improved QST® (Qromis Substrate Technology) substrate (Note 2) and bond it to a different material substrate. This technology enables the vertical conduction of GaN and is expected to contribute to the realization and commercialization of vertical GaN power devices capable of controlling large currents. The two companies will work further together to develop vertical GaN power devices that can be implemented in society by partnering with companies that manufacture these devices.

OKI (TOKYO:6703) has released Issue 241 of the OKI Technical Review (Note 1). The theme of this special feature is “OKI’s Contributions toward Green Society and Environment.” Based on the OKI Group’s recognition that the environment is both a social issue and business opportunity, we’re promoting environmental management by reducing the CO2 emissions generated in our business activities and concurrently by creating and expanding our range of environmentally contributing products. This special feature introduces specific initiatives and the underlying concepts.

OKI Electric Cable (President: Hideo Yamaguchi, Head office: Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture), the OKI Group’s electric cable company, has developed two new types of environment-proof FPC (flexible printed circuit) products (Note 1) capable of use under harsh conditions, including the conditions found in high-temperature and high-pressure steam environments: a heat-proof FPC and a high-pressure steam-proof FPC. Global sales will commence in June for applications involving equipment and devices that require high-temperature heat treatment or high-pressure steam sterilization. Sales of at least JPY100 million are expected for this fiscal year.

OKI (TOKYO: 6703) today announced that, at its meeting held on February 1, 2022, the OKI Board of Directors decided on a change in the presidency of the company.

OKI Electric Cable (President: Hideo Yamaguchi, Headquarters: Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture), the OKI Group’s electric cable business subsidiary, has developed the OH Cable (*1) for use with food manufacturing equipment. The product offers high resistance to cleaning fluids, disinfectants, and the edible oils and fats used in food manufacturing facilities. Sales began on September 28, 2021, for made-to-order cables whose conductor size, number of cores, and other aspects can be customized to suit the characteristics of specific food manufacturing equipment. The sales target for fiscal 2023 is a minimum of JPY 50 million.

On September 9, OKI Electric Cable (President: Hideo Yamaguchi, Headquarters: Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture), a subsidiary of the OKI Group, launched sales of the Ultrafine diameter robot cable “ORP-30F Cable” and Ultrafine diameter cable “OFV-30F Cable”. Both offer industry-leading fineness (*1) for wiring in confined spaces inside industrial robots and machine tools.