Asahi Kasei
Global materials conglomerate (Tokyo stock exchange: 3407) producing CNF-reinforced polymer filaments (PA/CNF, SEBS/CNF) for FFF/FDM additive manufacturing of high-strength structural and flexible composite parts.
- CEO / Founder
- Koshiro Kudo
- Team Size
- 10000+
- Stage
- Public
- Total Funding
- Publicly Traded
- Latest Round
- IPO
- Key Investors
- The Master Trust Bank of Japan; Custody Bank of Japan; Nippon Life Insurance Company; Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company; Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
Technology & Products
Key Products
KARAKSA CNF-blended filaments (PA/CNF, SEBS/CNF) for FFF/FDM; Thermylon PA resins; LEONA engineering plastics (polyamide resin); TENAC polyacetal resin; XYRON modified PPE resin
Technological Advantage
Claimed: Superior mechanical properties (strength/flexibility) vs standard filaments. Verified: Corporate-scale material science expertise and established Thermylon® resin brand.
Patent position
Asahi Kasei filed 12 patent families across all years, compared with 494 filed by Stratasys. AMPulse analysis
- Filing momentum
- 8 families filed 2022–2024, 4 in 2019–2021
- Filed in
- CN 25%WO 25%EP 25%JP 17%US 17%
- Named competitors, AM patent families
- Stratasys 494
12 AM patent families in total. Recent years are still being published, so read a filing change against the same-office figure.
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Reduces weight and increases strength of industrial components by replacing metal with CNF-reinforced polymers, leveraging established Thermylon® resin technology for 3D printing applications.
How They Differentiate
Utilizes proprietary cellulose nanofiber (CNF) reinforcement technology to achieve higher strength-to-weight ratios in PA and SEBS filaments compared to standard industrial offerings from BASF or Stratasys.
Market & Competition
Target Customers
Industrial manufacturers in automotive and general engineering.
Industry Verticals
Automotive; Electronics; General Engineering
Competitors
BASF Ultrafuse; Stratasys; Kimya
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
Launched trial sales of 3D printing filaments in the North American market in October 2023; expanded service offering to include engineering and CAE support for 3DP design in the automotive sector.
Major Milestones
Founded in 1922; Development of CNF-reinforced filaments for 3D printing; North America division recognized as Plastics News Best Place to Work
Notable Customers
Tungaloy Corporation; Ricoh Company, Ltd.; Ultimaker; Raise3D; Stratasys; Nexa3D
AM patents
AM-relevant patents linked to this company.
- Patents
- 13
- Granted
- 2
- Families
- 12
Leading domains: material (13), process (13), equipment (4)
Filings by year: 2024: 4 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 1
- 樹脂組成物37109706|2025109706 · JP
- resin composition7846313 · JP
- MOLDED BODY, METHOD OF PRODUCING MOLDED BODY, AND METHOD OF PRODUCING SINTERED BODY20240189903 · US
- RESIN COMPOSITION2025150576 · WO
- Molded article, method for manufacturing laser-marked molded article, and laser marking method116829334 · CN
Funding rounds
- IPOUndisclosed1949-05Source: StockDetect, PESTEL Analysis