Nakayama Amorphous

About Nakayama Amorphous

Nakayama Amorphous Co., Ltd. was a Japanese company specializing in the design, manufacture, and sale of products utilizing amorphous metals. The company was established in April 2013 as a spin-off of the amorphous metal business from Nakayama Steel Works, Ltd. At its inception, Ryurou Kurahashi served as the representative. The company was headquartered in Osaka, Japan.

The firm's core technology centered on amorphous metals, which are alloys with a disordered atomic structure, created by rapidly cooling molten metal. This structure gives them unique properties compared to conventional crystalline metals, such as exceptionally high corrosion resistance, abrasion resistance, and soft magnetic performance. Nakayama Amorphous focused its business on three main areas: torque sensors, fuel cells, and corrosion-resistant materials for infrastructure. Their strategy involved joint development projects with large corporations to bring their technology to market.

The company received significant financial backing from the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ), with an initial investment announced in November 2012 and additional funding in August 2016. Nakayama Steel Works, Ltd. was also a co-investor. However, the company faced significant challenges related to mass production manufacturing technologies and business development, which hindered its progress. Due to these difficulties, the company was unable to continue its business as originally planned. In June 2018, at an extraordinary meeting of shareholders, the decision was made to dissolve the company. Subsequently, its business segments were transferred to other entities: the torque sensor and fuel cell businesses were acquired by USUI CO., LTD., and the infrastructure materials business was taken over by Yoshikawa Industry Co., Ltd. The company's legal entity was officially closed in September 2018.