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In late July 2025, (Fukui, Japan), a family-owned company specializing in composite materials, preforms and profiles, announced that its proposal, “Advancement of Design and Manufacturing Technology for Low-Cost Thermoplastic CFRP Large Tanks Utilizing DX Technology,” has been selected by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) under its Space Strategic Fund program.

This project aims to establish the foundational technology for manufacturing propulsion fuel tanks for rockets using lightweight and low-cost carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (CFRTP), a departure from conventional metal materials. This innovation will be tackled through industry-academia collaboration with the University of Tokyo and Kanazawa Institute of Technology/Innovation Composite Center (ICC).

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In the global space industry, a pressing challenge is the reduction of rocket launch costs. MaruHachi aims to contribute to a dramatic weight and cost reduction for rockets by establishing a manufacturing technology for CFRTP tanks capable of withstanding cryogenic liquid fuels. This will enhance the international competitiveness of Japan’s space transportation business.

“The background of this project is the ATL technology from Fraunhofer IPT, which MaruHachi introduced through the AZL network about 8 years ago,” says Toshihide Sugahara, president of MaruHachi Corp. “Building on this, MaruHachi has accumulated fundamental research on ATL molding technology and advanced its processing techniques, which led to this proposal. As MaruHachi celebrates its 88^th anniversary, we are taking on the new challenge of the space domain by leveraging the composite material technologies we have cultivated. We are committed as a company to making this project a success and contributing to the development of not only Japan’s space industry but also the global space industry and the creation of new regional industries where we are located.”

The primary R&D initiatives behind this project include:

• Developing high-performance CFRTP tape materials that can withstand cryogenic environments. 
• The build of a sophisticated design system using high-performance computing to streamline development. 
• Introduction of a new, ultra-large-scale molding system for rockets to establish manufacturing technology.
• Analyzation of big data from in-process manufacturing through inline inspection to develop efficient quality assurance technology.

This project completed its contract with JAXA in April 2025 and has commenced with R&D partners Nobuhiro Yoshikawa, professor at the University of Tokyo’s Institute of Industrial Science; and Kiyoshi Uzawa, director/professor of the ICC at Kanazawa Institute of Technology.

To promote this project, MaruHachi established the Future Development Department in April 2025. The company strives to further expand its business through the commercialization of technology developed in the space sector and its application in the aerospace industry. 

This post is courtesy of the ÂÌñÏ×ÆÞ and AZL Aachen GmbH media partnership.