What's KYOWA?
Strain/stress measurement provides criteria for knowing
the strength of structures and is indispensable to ensure the sufficient strength
and safety of the equipment and structures used under severe conditions.
Here, strain is the deformation a material shows
when elongated or contracted in proportion to an applied force.
A strain gauge detects the strain as an electric signal.
KYOWA commercialized strain gages first in Japan.
Based on abundant experiences and technologies accumulated throughout
over 60 years since 1951 the first Japanese-made strain gages were commercialized,
KYOWA manufactures a variety of high-performance strain gages,
strain-gage transducers, measuring instruments and systems.
These products have been used in various countries and regions.
In crash safety tests it is required to accurately grasp
any deformation of the car body and effects to the driver and passengers,
all of which occur during crashing in 0.2 seconds.
KYOWA produces various component/dummy-mounted sensors including accelerometers,
component force transducers and strain gages as well as impact-resistant,
highly reliable data loggers installed to vehicles under test.
As further improvement of automotive performance is required and safety awareness of users is being raised,
every automobile manufacturer in the world is promoting research and development for realization of further improved safety performance.
KYOWA technologies are used for running tests in various test courses and for component tests to verify designs of new functions and new materials.
Thus, KYOWA contributes to further improvement of automotive safety.
KYOWA’s various sensors and instruments are used for
bulky data acquisition and verification in development
and tests of rockets and airplanes that incorporate the latest scientific advances.
For example, strain gages and displacement transducers are used to
test CFRP materials, pressure transducers,
to monitor stationary combustion and fast data loggers,
to test the static strength of rocket and airplane components.
In June 2010, the asteroid explorer Hayabusa achieved the world’s first heroic deed of bringing back samples of asteroidal material to Earth. KYOWA’s technology took an active part in developing the Hayabusa.
Evaluating the contribution, MEXT commended KYOWA as a member of the project support team.
Establishing main marketing bases in US, China and ASEAN,
KYOWA is proposing and marketing products
that meet with measurement needs in each individual region
while promoting development of products specialized
for each regional need with global advancement in mind.