Daicel
Japanese specialty chemicals conglomerate (TSE: 4202) developing biodegradable cellulose acetate materials (CAFBLO) and fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (PLASTRON) for large-scale 3D printing, enabling fully biodegradable printed structures.
- CEO / Founder
- Yasuhiro Sakaki
- Team Size
- 10000+
- Stage
- Public
- Total Funding
- Publicly Traded
Technology & Products
Key Products
CAFBLO® (cellulose acetate filament/pellets for large-format AM, marine biodegradable); PLASTRON® (fiber-reinforced thermoplastic compounds for AM); specialty cellulose acetate derivatives; airbag gas generators (Safety Systems division)
Technological Advantage
Over 100 years of cellulose chemistry expertise; proprietary CAFBLO bio-polymer formulation; established manufacturing scale; PLASTRON fiber-reinforced composites portfolio; integration with Daicel's global specialty chemicals supply chain
Patent position
Daicel filed 20 patent families across all years. AMPulse analysis
- Filing momentum
- 9 families filed 2022–2024, 3 in 2019–2021
- Filed in
- WO 40%CN 30%US 25%EP 20%JP 5%
20 AM patent families in total. Recent years are still being published, so read a filing change against the same-office figure.
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Proprietary cellulose acetate resins and fiber-reinforced thermoplastics enabling sustainable, biodegradable large-scale 3D printing, backed by Guinness World Record-validated real-world deployment at Expo 2025 Osaka.
How They Differentiate
Focus on sustainable, fully biodegradable polymer AM materials in contrast to EOS, BASF, and Stratasys which focus on high-performance conventional materials; uniquely positioned at intersection of cellulose chemistry heritage and large-scale AM; proven construction-scale deployment
Market & Competition
Target Customers
Construction firms, architectural design studios, industrial manufacturers, and sustainability-focused companies seeking biodegradable and high-performance polymer AM materials
Industry Verticals
Construction, Architecture, Industrial Manufacturing, Packaging, Aerospace, Safety Systems (Airbags)
Competitors
BASF (Forward AM – Ultrafuse, Ultramid materials); Solvay (KetaSpire PEEK, AvaSpire PAEK); NatureWorks (Ingeo PLA biopolymers for AM)
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
FY2025 consolidated net sales: ¥586.53 billion (~$3.9B USD); 11,142+ employees across 73 group companies in 15 countries; Engineering Plastics division (includes CAFBLO) designated as growth business; mid-term targets: ROE 4%+ and total return ratio 40%+
Major Milestones
1919: Founded as Dainippon Celluloid Company (merger of eight celluloid firms); 1964: Renamed Daicel Chemical Industries; CAFBLO developed for sustainable 3D printing; Partnership with Takenaka Corporation for Expo 2025 Osaka project; December 2024: Guinness World Record – largest 3D-printed biodegradable building; Formnext 2025 exhibitor; COOL JAPAN AWARD 2025 for CAFBLO Marine Biodegradable; FY2025 consolidated net sales ¥586.53 billion
Notable Customers
Takenaka Corporation (Expo 2025 Osaka "Foresting Architecture" pavilion)
AM patents
AM-relevant patents linked to this company.
- Patents
- 24
- Granted
- 2
- Families
- 20
Leading domains: process (24), material (18), equipment (5)
Filings by year: 2025: 1 · 2024: 8 · 2022: 3 · 2020: 3 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 3
- Entity material composition, and preparation method and application of same109401259 · CN
- Cellulose ester resin composition, molded object, and method for producing the same.2026085364 · JP
- CELLULOSE ESTER RESIN COMPOSITION, SHAPED ARTICLE, AND METHODS FOR PRODUCING SAME20260132272 · US
- POWDERY MATERIAL FOR 3D PRINTER, THREE-DIMENSIONAL SHAPED OBJECT, AND PRODUCTION METHOD THEREFOR2026164129 · WO
- THREE-DIMENSIONAL MOLDING COMPOSITION, METHOD FOR PRODUCING THREE-DIMENSIONAL MOLDED ARTICLE, AND THREE-DIMENSIONAL MOLDED ARTICLE2018074373 · WO