Keio University · Engineering
Professor Yasuhiro Kakinuma's research lab specializes in advanced microfabrication and functional materials, focusing on precision machining of soft and composite materials such as PDMS, carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (CFRTP), and crystalline microcavities. The lab develops innovative ultraprecision manufacturing techniques—such as micro milling and computer-controlled cutting—for creating microfluidic devices, optical microcavities, and smart functional materials. A key research direction involves enhancing the performance and durability of electro-rheological fluids and gels by suppressing particle sedimentation and enabling field-responsive surface properties for adaptive applications.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is one of the important materials for microfluidic chips. The pattern of micro channels on the PDMS plate is usually fabricated through the photolithography and micro molding process. However, the photolithographic method requires multi chemical and mechanical processes and resultant long process time. The micro milling process is a feasible method for rapid fabrication of various patterns of micro channels. However, micromachining has not yet been applied to soft pol
We fabricated a crystalline whispering gallery mode microcavity by using a computer-controlled ultraprecision cutting process to control the cavity cross section. We used a numerical simulation to show that a wide-spanning optical Kerr frequency comb is generated by tailoring the dispersion of a crystalline whispering gallery mode microcavity. To control the dispersion, we designed the cross-sectional shape of the device and fabricated it by using ultraprecision cutting. Both the measured value
Carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (CFRTP) are just beginning to be utilized for various applications such as aerospace, automobiles, and sporting goods in place of CFRPs, and the demand for through-hole drilling of CFRTPs is increasing. In this study, the machinability in drilling of CFRTPs under various conditions was experimentally analyzed in terms of the material properties, and a feasibility study of ultrafast feed drilling was conducted. The results showed that delamination at the out
Electra-rheological fluids (ERFs) are composed of a functional fluid and colloidal suspension. Their rheological properties vary rapidly and reversibly with the applied electric field intensity. ERFs are mixtures of nonconductive silicone oil and inorganic/organic composite electro-rheological particles. Investigations into the properties of ERFs have led to remarkable advances in their performance in recent years. However, ERFs exhibit an undesirable property that obstructs the long-term use of
Electro-rheological gel (ERG) is a new functional material whose surface friction and adhesive properties vary according to the intensity of the applied electric field. In a recent study, one-sided patterned electrodes were applied to the ERG and the change in surface frictional and adhesive property under the electric field, which is called the ERG effect, was experimentally confirmed. The ERG with one-sided patterned electrodes is considered to be suitable for application to a fixture device f
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