Kariya City is known as the heart of Japan's automotive industry and was an appropriate location to unveil a version dedicated to the production of auto industry-related products, consequently attracting a larger than expected crowd and setting a record for highest attendance for a private show held by SHIMA SEIKI, with 120 companies and approximately 260 visitors over two days. The lively atmosphere at the venue reflected strong interest from the automotive industry, a major sector supporting Japan’s economy.

SHIMA SEIKI entered the cutting machine market with its “P-CAM®” series computerized cutting machine in 1991. A latecomer to the market, it quickly established a loyal following among customers for its high productivity and reliability. Currently, P-CAM® enjoys the largest share in the Japanese domestic computerized cutting machine market. In 2022, with the mission to provide the world’s best cutting technology for the global market, SHIMA SEIKI developed the next generation flagship P-CAM® R. The prototype was unveiled at the JIAM 2022 Japan International Apparel Machinery & Textile Industry Trade Show, while the production version was launched at the JIAM 2024 show. Leveraging the many advantages of P-CAM® R cutting technology with its high efficiency, productivity, quality and safety, SHIMA SEIKI has now developed a dedicated car seat production version which it showed at Kariya this time.

The dedicated car seat production version of P-CAM® R adopts a dual-head design that enables simultaneous cutting and drilling to improve the efficiency of frequent drilling operations required in car seat production. During drilling, a suction and ejection system for drill dust reduces scattering of scraps at the pickup stage. Additionally, for seat material featuring urethane foam layers for cushioning, excessive suction force used to affix the fabric for multi-ply cutting can cause uneven compression, potentially affecting quality. P-CAM® R is therefore equipped with a function that automatically adjusts suction according to the fabric for optimized cutting.

During the private exhibition visitors were able to experience the advantages of each of these features through demonstrations on the actual machine. Test-cutting was also available, whereby visitors could bring their own fabrics to confirm processing quality and compatibility as well as to give them a better idea of how P-CAM® R might fit into their current production line. These demonstrations proved to be very popular among visitors who were keen to implement labor savings and automation in their factories. Alongside demonstrations of actual machines, panel displays highlighting features of the dedicated car seat production version were also available, allowing visitors to gain a deeper understanding of the product.

P-CAM® R is set for overseas sales, including the dedicated car seat production version, allowing Japan’s best-selling cutting machine technology to become available in other markets.