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Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ pages from each business department will help your business quickly and appropriately.

METAL FINISHING

What kinds of materials can be plated??

Kawamoto Komin was a chemist in the Edo period (the nineteenth century) who studied Western sciences by Dutch language. He is said to experiment with first electroplating in Japan. It is said that after then, Shimazu Nariakira, the feudal load of Shimazu domain, conducted gold and silver decorative plating to armors and helmets as the first electroplating in Japan.
Currently, we conduct nickel, copper, zinc, tin and other plating on the surfaces of iron materials. For car parts, the technology of plating on plastic, and for electronic devices, the technology of plating on printed wiring boards and ceramics are widely applied around us.

What is the role of plating?

The size and the weight and electronic devices becomes much smaller and lighter. In electronics field, plating enables to provide electrical connection between both sides and among the inner layers of printed circuit boards.
In car industry, some part of raw materials have been changed from metals to plastic, and we can achieve beautiful and metallic appearance by plating on plastic.
In other fields, corrosion resistant plating has been widely applied to our daily life, for example, in car parts, mechanical parts, and public infrastructure in order to protect metals from corrosion and maintain the original appearances of plated parts.

Is corrosion resistant plating available?

To improve corrosion resistance, we can choose from two methods: corrosion-resistant plating or sacrificial plating.
We can discover the corrosion-resistant plating in copper/nickel/chromium plating on iron. In the plating, nickel plating films can prevent iron and steel from corrosion by working as barrier layers.
We can discover the sacrificial plating in zinc plating on iron. Zinc indicates higher tendency to ionization than iron, thus zinc preferentially corrodes by galvanic corrosion. The sacrificial plating is widely used for example for towers, bridges, building structures to prevent iron and steel from corrosion for a long time.

Is high hardness plating available?
How much hardness is available?

Especially, printer roller or cylinder parts require high hardness, and hard chromium electroplating has been generally used for the purpose. Standard hard chromium electroplating films are excellent in hardness, wear resistance and corrosion resistance, indicating Vickers hardness (Hv) from 800 to 1000.
Considering the sustainability on earth and the advanced uniformity in film thickness, some parts of the chromium plating are replaced electroless nickel plating.

Is antibacterial plating available?

We have developed tin-nickel alloy plating that realizes elegant reddish colors. The plating is excellent in water resistance, and recommended for accessories, exterior and interior parts, buttons, switches, kitchen and bath room.
Also we have launched silvery-white, high-grade copper-tin alloy plating. This product is eco-friendly, designed to reduce nickel dissolution and indicates high hot-water resistance. Please feel free to contact us from the web inquiry form.

Is wear resistant plating available?

Mechanical parts such as roller or cylinder parts require wear resistance to extend the usable time, and hard chromium electroplating, electroless nickel plating, nickel composite electro/electroless plating has been generally used for the purpose. According to your usages, purposes, specifications, the presence or absence of lubricants, necessary hardness and any of your requirements, we’ll choose the best product to your expectations.

Can we plate on aluminum?

The specific gravity of iron is 7.8, while that of aluminum is 2.7. Plated aluminum can be found around us easily in car or mechanical parts because it is a very light and strong material. In nature, aluminum is easily oxidized and forms oxidized films on the surface.
To remove the oxidized films, we need a zincate treatment that increases adhesion performance of plated films on aluminum.

Can we plate on plastic?

Plating on plastic is applied to achieve metallic and luxurious appearances and to increase heat-, scratch, weather resistance of automotive parts. In general, ABS resin is used for plating on plastics.
To plate on ABS, it is required to dissolve butadiene of ABS in a etching step. Then it is required to conduct a catalyst treatment to promote plating reaction. By this process, we can form nickel / chromium films with high adhesion on plastic.

What is anodizing treatment?

Anodizing treatment means the process to anodize aluminum in order to form oxidized films on aluminum surface. This treatment can improve corrosion and wear resistance of aluminum. In addition, transparent and micro-porous films with approximately 10 μm thickness are formed on the surface of aluminum by anodizing.
In coloring steps, dyes adsorb on and into the micro-pores, and we can obtain various colors on aluminum parts. This technology is used for smartphones, tablet devices, cameras, bicycles, music players and many home appliances.

How can we increase adhesion performance of plated films?

Oxidized films, foreign matters, rust, pinholes, or non-uniform layers on the surface will decrease adhesion performance of plated films. To achieve high adhesion, it is important to sufficiently clean the surface of substrate, and make surface state uniform before plating. We can propose the most suitable process from pre-treatment to post-treatment only for you, so please feel free to contact us from the web inquiry form.

Can we conduct plating treatment again on plated materials?

If some defects are found on or in plated parts, the plated films can be stripped for re-plating.
In the case, we need to select the best stripping agent carefully because the size or the appearances of the parts may be changed in stripping steps. We can propose the most suitable stripper from the kinds of materials and plating films, so please feel free to contact us from the web inquiry form.

INORGANIC MATERIALS

Do you have glass products for electronic devices?

We provide glass products for resistors, capacitors, inductors, LEDs, solar cells, fuel cells, sensors, and thermal heads. Based on preliminary discussions about insulation resistance and sintering conditions, we suggest a lot of products for sintering aids, sealing, cover coating, over-coating and glazing.
Ask OKUNO about anything of the chemical resistance, plating resistance and working conditions to find your ideal glass products with us.

Do you have glass enamels for car windows?

Our products are used for windshields (laminated glass), rear glass (tempered glass) and side glass (tempered glass) of automobiles. The said glass is attached to a car body using adhesives, and our black-glass enamels play an important role to protect the adhesives from ultra violet rays.
For laminated glass, we provide glass enamels applicable to press bending and sag bending.
For tempered glass, we provide glass enamels applicable to silver-bleeding and silver hiding.

Can we purchase a new color of decorative glass enamels?

GLASS COLOR (OKUNO’s glass enamels for firing) is widely used for glass bottles, cups and car-, train-windows, and OKUNO has secured 100% market share of drink bottles in Japan.
We have many and rich experiences about glasses, tumblers, glass bottles, drink bottles and a lot of industry, so please contact us without hesitation.

Is the coating with excellent water resistance and insulation properties available?

We have developed silica-based new coating solutions that show excellent water resistance and insulation properties (product name: Protector series). The products are the best products to coat on aluminum, magnesium and magnetic powder. Also, our new products are suitable for the electronic components that require high water resistance and insulation property. The coated films can be cured at a low temperature from 80 to 200 ℃. We have a lot of product line to satisfy your requirements for functional coating, so please contact us without hesitation.

What are the features of the silica-based coating solutions?

Conventional coating by glass powder requires heat treatment over 500 ℃. Our silica-based thin coating is a method to obtain ceramic coats from metallic solutions by hydrolysis and condensation polymerization reaction. The thin coat can be formed by low-temperature heat treatment from 80 to 200℃, and this technology enables to achieve high performance in hardness, heat-resistance, adhesion and insulation.
If the coating is applied on aluminum (A1085), rust doesn’t occur even after 1000 hour salt spray test. In addition, the coats are transparent, so the original appearances of metals can be maintained after the treatment.

Are the coating solutions that can make colored films available?

By adding black-color pigments into the silica-based coating solutions, it is possible to achieve excellent shielding and weather resistance.
If the coating is applied on aluminum (A1085), rust doesn’t occur even after 1000 hour salt spray and original black appearances can be maintained.
We have shiny- and matte-type coats for black colors, also we have many color line-up to satisfy your color preferences.

Is it possible to conduct coating on metallic powder to improve insulation property and corrosion resistance?

It is possible to conduct silica-based coating by liquid phase reaction on the powder to enhance insulation property and corrosion resistance. The thickness can be controlled from several ten to several hundred nanometers.
We can provide many experimental results about corrosion resistance and insulation property to answer any of your questions.

Do you have inorganic pigments that do not contain chromium compounds?

We provide chromium-free black inorganic pigments that can realize high-class blackness and great heat resistance. The pigments are the best products to use for automotive glass window, panels of home appliances and overcoat pastes. Furthermore, we have black inorganic pigments that do not contain chromium and cobalt compounds. Please contact us for details.

What type of glass products are provided for customers?

We supply not only glass powder but also screen printing inks (the mixture of glass powder and organic binders) and glass slurry (the mixture of glass powder and water).
We offer a full package of glass products and services to support your mass production including glass melting, grinding, and pasting.

We have uses another company's product, but the production is finished. Is it possible to supply a similar product?

Please let us know about the composition of the glass materials that you have used, the required glass characteristics and the working conditions at your company.
After that, we will introduce the best product to meet the need of your company.
If you can't find a product you are looking for, we can provide tailor-made products for you after detailed discussion. Please feel free to contact us.

Can we make a prototype product or purchase a small amount of samples?

We have a lot of experiences to make prototype and small-lot products. We provide a total solution from glass design, processing to mass production by discussing about the required electrical characteristics, thermal resistance and chemical resistance. Our products are widely used for cover coating, sintering aid, sealing, and glazing, so we can offer various ideas from every angle.
Nowadays, we’re developing low-expansion substrates containing quartz and aluminum nitride, also developing high-performance glass for 5G, so please feel free to contact us.

FOOD

Are food additives safe?

In Japan, Food Safety Commission of Japan (FSCJ) in Cabinet Office implements risk assessment concerning food additives in order to investigate the effects of a food additive on human health.
First, toxicity testing is performed on animals by FSCJ. Next, FSCJ estimates the level of a food additive that will not affect animals’ health, and the level is deemed No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL).
Then, considering the application to human body, one per cent of NOAEL is deemed Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI). ADI means an estimate amount of a food additive that can be consumed over a lifetime without presenting an appreciable risk to health. In this way, high-degree of safety is assured about food additives.

What is food loss and food waste?

Food loss and food waste means the disposed food that are edible but not consumed. The issue is resulted from eating out, unused food, left over from household kitchens and disposing the food that are not eaten by best-before date. In Japan, it is said that approximately six million tons of food loss and food waste causes every year.
The world’s population is remarkably increasing, and we should tackle with the issue to prevent a food crisis in the future. Especially, Japan’s calorie-based food self-sufficiency rate stands about 40 per cent, so our country is most pressing need right now to solve this issue.

Can we reduce the amount of food loss and food waste using food additives?

As a solution for food loss and food waste reduction, we propose shelf life improvers and food quality improvers.
Shelf life improvers are used to extend the shelf life of the food that don’t keep long. By shelf life improvers, we can increase the opportunity that the food can be eaten, and the amount of food loss and food waste is able to be reduced.
Food quality improvers contribute to reduce food loss and food waste in manufacturing processes. We provide a wide variety of food additives and food materials to improve yield rates in your manufacturing lines.

Please tell me about the role of food additives.

Food additives are usually used in processed food to prevent food spoilage and food poisoning caused by microorganisms during the distribution process from manufacturing factories to consumers. Also, food additives are necessary to improve food tastes, smells, mouth feelings and colors as well as to improve productivity and food quality.
Concretely, food additives are used in box lunch to extend the shelf life of the food that don’t keep long. Also, food additives are added into bread to prevent the deterioration of oral sensation because bread becomes harder during storage.

What is shelf life improvers?

Shelf life improvers are one type of the food additives that are used to prevent the spoilage of processed food and food poisoning. Shelf life improvement doesn’t mean sterilization or disinfection, and has a meaning to suppress the increase of microorganisms. In Japan, preservatives and shelf life improvers are added into processed food to control microorganisms.

What is the difference between preservatives and shelf life improvers?

Preservatives are a kind of food additives that are used for food preservation, and they can prevent food spoilage caused by microorganisms. On the other hand, shelf life improvers don’t have the same-level of effect to the preservatives; however, they can control the growth of microorganisms during a short term.
OKUNO provides various kinds of shelf life improvers, for example, the products that can maintain the original tastes of egg- and/or milk-based food, the products that are developed for lunch boxes and prepared meals, the products that can control peculiar smells from meat and fish as well as the products that can control burnt colors. You can discover the best products from our wide product line-up as you like.

Is it possible to extend the shelf life of processed food using a clean label compatible product?

In response to increasing health consciousness, clean label products become wide spread. Clean label means making a food product from easily-understandable ingredients. As a clean-label product, we have developed new product, TOP N FIT VP. We have developed the product by enhancing the shelf life improvement effect of vinegar. In the product, acidity and acid smells are suppressed comparing general distilled vinegar; besides, the product has a flavor-improving effect by reducing disliked, peculiar smells of food. For more information, please contact us.

What is a food quality improver?

Food quality improvers can make better physical properties of processed foods such as texture, flavor and viscosity. As the food quality improvers, we provide wheat protein materials (product name: PROFECT series). The products are used for bread, cakes, noodles and other food made of wheat flour. Also, the products are applicable to hamburger steaks and other processed food made of meat.
Additionally, we can provide food quality improvers for fish- and seafood-paste products (NERIKING series), viscosity-improving and moisture retention agents (TOP ROOKIE GUM RISE series) and discoloration preventing agents for cut fruits, root vegetables (FRUIT KOMACHI series) to satisfy any of your requests.

Why baking powder can increase the volume of bread or confectionery?

Baking powder contains sodium bicarbonate (an alkaline base for carbon dioxide generation) and acids (the aid for gas occurrence). Organic acid salts, phosphates and potassium aluminum sulfate are generally contained as the acids. For example, we can raise the volume of cookies using baking powder from the reaction of sodium bicarbonate and acids. However, we can’t achieve enough thickness if we choose inappropriate baking powder.
To solve the compatibility problems, we have developed a unique coating technology and achieved the highest performance in baking powder to meet your requirements individually.
To make puffy cakes, crunchy cookies, moist cakes and other sweet food, we have a wide variety of baking powder in order to increase the added value of your products together.

Is aluminum-free baking powder available?

Aluminum is a metal that widely exist in nature. A minute amount of aluminum is contained in farm products and marine products because plants and animals intake aluminum from soil and water. However, it is proved by animal tests using rats that a large amount of aluminum intake will affect the organs such as kidneys or bladders. Thus, the use of aluminum is reconsidered worldwide in recent years.
To respond to the trend, we have developed aluminum-free baking powder (TOP FUKURASHIKO series).
According to the reaction to heat, the timing of gas occurrence (immediate, continuous, late type) and required gas amount, we have many product line-up. Also, we have phosphate-free products, so please ask about anything to solve your problems.