[Award] Imoto Manufacturing's "High-Speed, High-Shear Mixer" Receives "Excellence Award" at the 38th SME Excellent New Technology/Product Award
Imoto Manufacturing's "High-Speed, High-Shear Mixer IMC-A500" received the "Excellence Award" at the 38th SME Excellent New Technology/Product Award, organized by Resona Foundation for SME Promotion and Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun. This product dramatically advances the kneading process in material development for plastics and other materials, reducing total working time by one-third. Its unique cylindrical rotor mechanism, combined with the synergistic effects of centrifugal force, swirling flow, and elongational flow, achieves powerful kneading and advanced dispersion performance. Its value as a research infrastructure in the MI era was highly recognized.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 15, 2026 at 23:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 15, 2026 at 14:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 15, 2026 at 20:18 (5h 46m after Collected)
Imoto Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto; Representative Director: Kenji Imoto) has developed the "High-Speed, High-Shear Mixer IMC-A500," which received the "Excellence Award" in the General Category of the 38th "SME Excellent New Technology/Product Award," organized by the Resona Foundation for SME Promotion and Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun.
High-Speed, High-Shear Mixer IMC-A500
View Details
■ What is the "SME Excellent New Technology/Product Award"?
This award is a historic recognition system that has been implemented since 1988 with the aim of promoting technological development among small and medium-sized enterprises and contributing to the development of Japan's industries.
Organizers/Sponsors: In addition to being co-organized by the Resona Foundation for SME Promotion and Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, it is sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Small and Medium Enterprise Agency, among others.
Rigorous Screening: Out of 12,089 applications over the past 37 awards, only 1,201 works were recognized, meaning that technologies and products that have overcome a high barrier are selected.
Social Significance: By recognizing excellent new technologies and products, the award aims to enhance the visibility of the winning companies, boost the motivation of developers, and generate ripple effects such as joint development with other organizations.
List of Award Winners here
■ Overview of the Award-Winning Product: High-Speed, High-Shear Mixer "IMC-A500"
This product is a device that dramatically advances the "kneading" process (mixing materials), which is essential in the development of materials such as plastics.
Unique "Cylindrical Rotor Mechanism": It adopts a unique structure (patent pending) completely different from conventional screw or blade types. The high-speed rotation of the cylindrical rotor generates powerful shear force within the mixing chamber.
Achieves powerful kneading through the synergistic effects of centrifugal force × swirling flow × elongational flow.
Material: PE + Carbon Toner (Ratio: PE 1: Carbon Toner 0.028)
Kneading: After heating for 3 minutes at 220℃ in this machine, kneaded for 1 minute at 580rpm.
Total working time reduced by 1/3: Kneading that traditionally took about 15 minutes can now be completed in just 1 to 2 minutes. Furthermore, the unique centrifugal force-based sample discharge function significantly simplifies troublesome cleaning tasks.
The series of operations from preheating to kneading to cleaning is reduced by approximately 1/3.
■ Key Point of the Award: Value as "Research Infrastructure" in the MI Era
We are greatly honored to be recognized for our originality as "research infrastructure" that accelerates Materials Informatics (MI).
High-Speed Cycle: In MI, where a large variety of samples need to be tested in large quantities and at high speed, this machine, which can reduce working time by 1/3, becomes an indispensable tool.
Advanced Dispersion Performance: Even difficult-to-disperse materials such as super engineering plastics and nanofillers are kneaded and dispersed by powerful shear force to create samples.
Product Name
High-Speed, High-Shear Mixer
Model
IMC-A500
Product Information Site
https://imonet.jp/product/detail.html?id=38&ct=10&sct=33
■ Future Goals
Since its debut at "N-Plus 2024" in October 2024, the IMC-A500 has already received many demo test requests from various companies. We will use this award as a significant boost to continue providing foundational technology that supports material innovation in Japan and worldwide.
About Demo Tests
Please check here for details on demo tests.
*The contents described in this news release are as of the announcement date. They may be changed without prior notice thereafter.
End
High-Speed, High-Shear Mixer IMC-A500
View Details
■ What is the "SME Excellent New Technology/Product Award"?
This award is a historic recognition system that has been implemented since 1988 with the aim of promoting technological development among small and medium-sized enterprises and contributing to the development of Japan's industries.
Organizers/Sponsors: In addition to being co-organized by the Resona Foundation for SME Promotion and Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, it is sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Small and Medium Enterprise Agency, among others.
Rigorous Screening: Out of 12,089 applications over the past 37 awards, only 1,201 works were recognized, meaning that technologies and products that have overcome a high barrier are selected.
Social Significance: By recognizing excellent new technologies and products, the award aims to enhance the visibility of the winning companies, boost the motivation of developers, and generate ripple effects such as joint development with other organizations.
List of Award Winners here
■ Overview of the Award-Winning Product: High-Speed, High-Shear Mixer "IMC-A500"
This product is a device that dramatically advances the "kneading" process (mixing materials), which is essential in the development of materials such as plastics.
Unique "Cylindrical Rotor Mechanism": It adopts a unique structure (patent pending) completely different from conventional screw or blade types. The high-speed rotation of the cylindrical rotor generates powerful shear force within the mixing chamber.
Achieves powerful kneading through the synergistic effects of centrifugal force × swirling flow × elongational flow.
Material: PE + Carbon Toner (Ratio: PE 1: Carbon Toner 0.028)
Kneading: After heating for 3 minutes at 220℃ in this machine, kneaded for 1 minute at 580rpm.
Total working time reduced by 1/3: Kneading that traditionally took about 15 minutes can now be completed in just 1 to 2 minutes. Furthermore, the unique centrifugal force-based sample discharge function significantly simplifies troublesome cleaning tasks.
The series of operations from preheating to kneading to cleaning is reduced by approximately 1/3.
■ Key Point of the Award: Value as "Research Infrastructure" in the MI Era
We are greatly honored to be recognized for our originality as "research infrastructure" that accelerates Materials Informatics (MI).
High-Speed Cycle: In MI, where a large variety of samples need to be tested in large quantities and at high speed, this machine, which can reduce working time by 1/3, becomes an indispensable tool.
Advanced Dispersion Performance: Even difficult-to-disperse materials such as super engineering plastics and nanofillers are kneaded and dispersed by powerful shear force to create samples.
Product Name
High-Speed, High-Shear Mixer
Model
IMC-A500
Product Information Site
https://imonet.jp/product/detail.html?id=38&ct=10&sct=33
■ Future Goals
Since its debut at "N-Plus 2024" in October 2024, the IMC-A500 has already received many demo test requests from various companies. We will use this award as a significant boost to continue providing foundational technology that supports material innovation in Japan and worldwide.
About Demo Tests
Please check here for details on demo tests.
*The contents described in this news release are as of the announcement date. They may be changed without prior notice thereafter.
End
FAQ
What is the High-Speed, High-Shear Mixer IMC-A500?
It is a device that dramatically advances the "kneading" process in material development for plastics and other materials. It generates powerful shear force through its unique cylindrical rotor mechanism, significantly reducing mixing time.
What kind of award is the SME Excellent New Technology/Product Award?
It is a historic award system implemented since 1988, organized by the Resona Foundation for SME Promotion and Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, with the aim of promoting technological development among SMEs and contributing to industrial development.