Turbomachinery

The IHI Group has been developing environment-friendly turbomachinery.
From the perspective not only of economical benefits but also of environment-friendliness, many customers demand compact and highly efficient compressors for their air supply. In response to the demand, IHI Rotating Machinery Engineering Co., Ltd. developed and released, in 2020, the new TRA-E compressor, whose discharging air volume is 28% larger than that of the previous model with the same footprint and efficiency.
In addition, a large amount of numerical simulation results obtained through trials during designing is an asset. Using these results may allow us to design a better shape with higher efficiency in a short time by actively using machine learning and analyzing calculation results. With the aim of incorporating the advantage, IHI has been developing technology to support designing turbochargers and aeroengines with machine learning and numerical simulation.

Leading-edge Turbochargers

In recent years, reduction of CO₂ emissions and improvement of fuel efficiency are required in the automobile industry to prevent global warming. To meet these requirements, various technological developments are going on, such as improvement of automobile engine efficiency and emission gas purification.

IHI has developed the following turbochargers to help customers resolve their problems through reduction of environmental burden: a new-generation turbocharger, which has high performance and good transient response in addition to lightness and compactness, and an electrically assisted turbocharger based on ultra-high-speed motor technology.
To provide a turbocharger applicable to next-generation fuel-cell vehicles, we have also developed an electric turbocharger for fuel-cell vehicles by fully utilizing our high-speed rotating and electrification technologies.

Heat/Surface Treatment

IHI Machinery and Furnace Co., Ltd. has adopted, into its original mass-produced vacuum carburizing equipment, a concept of transferring an oil-quench chamber, which conventionally had much idle time because of its short processing time compared to the one-to-one corresponding carburizing chamber, to enable it to work with several carburizing. This leads to significant reduction in stockpiles of quenching oil without loss of quality in quenching, contributing to customers’ efforts in regard to environmental issues.

IHI Hauzer Techno Coating B. V. has developed the new chrome coating technology Cromatipic®. This technology is applicable in various industrial fields, such as the automobile industry, because of its improved environment-friendliness and applicability to wide range of plastic products.

Parking System

Regarding parking lots as social infrastructure, IHI Transport Machinery Co., Ltd. has redefined its business framework as the contribution to the realization of a smart city beyond the conventional parking lots supply and has begun efforts based on the new framework. For example, incorporation of autonomous driving and image analysis technology and development of drone ports are going on.

In order to provide all parking users and cars with safe, secure, and comfortable products, we will continue to develop products as infrastructure that can cooperate with next-generation mobility.

• Industry-first realization of comfortable parking with AI and 3D sensors –Release of an elevator parking system, Gran Series-
• Industry-first realization of touchless operation for loading into and unloading from a mechanical parking facility

sensor system

Material Handling Machinery

IHI Transport Machinery Co., Ltd. has contributed to the worldwide energy industry mainly through its crane technology, material handling technology, and various control technology. As an example of our technological contribution to a recycling-oriented society, we have delivered various products to biomass power plants such as Nanatsujima biomass power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture.

In addition, our products also fulfill an important role in the construction industry. Screening an overall building with an all-weather cover is required to improve working environment of construction sites, but it is difficult to use conventional climbing cranes within the cover. To overcome this difficulty, we have developed a horizontally sliding Jib Climbing Crane jointly with SHIMIZU CORPORATION. This is the world’s first crane that can be used in limited space such as within a cover. Its horizontal telescopic boom has realized to adjust its operating radius flexibly even in limited space.

Logistics System

In recent years, automation and manpower saving are major demands in logistics and manufacturing industries because of chronic labor shortages. They are required especially for depalletizing, work to unload boxes stacked on a pallet, and picking, work to prepare large amounts and various kinds of goods for shipping, because these types of work tend to be long-continued heavy labor.

The IHI Group has developed and released AI-enhanced robot systems for depalletizing and picking. Leaving relatively monotonous and long-continued work to robots brings many benefits such as optimization of personnel distribution, improvement of working environment, reduction of human errors, and improvement in efficiency.