1Pioneering the Age of Electric Vehicles (EVs) - NTN

Bearings for the Growing Wind Power Market
Participation in Wind Power Trade Shows Around
the World Leads to New Orders in Europe,
China, and India
According to estimates by
the International Energy
Agency (IEA), wind power
accounted for 2% of total
world energy in 2006 and
will account for 7% in 2030.
With the surge in renewable HUSUM WindEnergy 2010 in Germany
energy worldwide in recent years, wind power is receiving
significant attention for its superb power generating efficiency.
As wind power systems become larger, many main shaft
bearings are now more than 2 meters in diameter. Because it
is not easy to conduct maintenance on bearings installed on
large systems and offshore systems, these bearings must be
highly reliable and durable.
NTN displayed its advanced bearing technologies at
participation in international wind
power industry trade shows such
as HUSUM WindEnergy
2010 in Germany and
China Wind Power 2010.
This participation was
part of the reason that we
received new orders from
customers in Europe and
China in the fiscal year ended
Offshore wind power system March 31, 2011.
Bearings for the Aerospace Industry
Certificate of Appreciation from Government for
NTN’s Contribution to
Asteroid Probe “Hayabusa”
Only the most advanced technology
available is sufficient for developing
and manufacturing bearings used in
the aerospace industry. NTN supplies
bearings to the world’s leading jet
engine manufacturers. We are also the
© JAXA
exclusive supplier of engine turbopump Hayabusa asteroid probe
bearings for all-Japanese rockets. And we supply products to
many space satellites, including Japan’s Hayabusa asteroid probe.
Launched in 2003, the Hayabusa successfully collected dust
samples from an asteroid called Itokawa between the Earth and
Mars and completed its mission in June 2010 after a 6-billion-kilometer
journey lasting seven years. The hinges of the joints that open
the Hayabusa’s solar panels were equipped with 16 spherical
plain bearings developed by NTN. We thus played a crucial role
in supplying power to the Hayabusa asteroid probe.
On December 2, 2010, Japan’s Cabinet Office and Ministry of
Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology awarded certificates
of appreciation to the 118 universities, corporations, institutions,
and other organs that contributed to development of the Hayabusa.
NTN was the only bearing manufacturer to receive this citation.
Certificate of appreciation from
the Space Development Minister
NTN’s spherical
plain bearing
used in Hayabusa
(Outer diameter: 26 mm)
Hinges of the
Hayabusa’s solar panels
Feature
R&D Highlights
Sensing system for cerebral
aneurysm treatment
Cerebral
aneurysm
Coil
Coil attached to the tip
of a wire is placed inside
the aneurysm
Force sensor
for cerebral
aneurysm
treatment
Microcatheter
During use of the support apparatus
Y-connector with
built-in force sensor
Wire
Manual maneuver
of the switch
button
Wire transfer
portion
Extra
fine wire
Insertion force
Right hand
maneuver
During wire replacement/manual maneuver
Taking on Challenges in Fields Including Brain
Surgery and Pharmaceutical Development
Through operation of a wire inserted into a catheter, NTN is
contributing to the advancement of embolization operations
that prevent rupturing of a cerebral aneurysm, a cause of
subarachnoid hemorrhage. In this operation, to prevent rupturing
of a cerebral aneurysm, normally at least two highly skilled
doctors are needed to accurately handle the extra-fine wire.
In 2006, NTN developed for the first time ever a sensing system
that measures and indicates any minimal force exerted on the
extra fine wire by the fingertips of the doctor. In March 2010,
in collaboration with institutes including the Nagoya University
Graduate School and the Nagoya Institute of Technology
Graduate School, we made another world-first development:
an assistance apparatus that makes this operation possible with
just one doctor.
In addition to developing technology that contributes to CT
scanners and artificial hearts, NTN is taking on new challenges
in the field of medicine.
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