Business Wire

NIPPON KINZOKU Establishes Mass Production of Ultra-Thin and Narrow Stainless Steel for Insulin Needles

26.8.2026 11:01:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release

Share

NIPPON KINZOKU CO., LTD. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Yasushi Shimokawa; TOKYO: 5491) is pleased to announce the commencement of mass production for its "Ultra-thin and narrow-width stainless steel" optimized for laser welding in ultra-fine insulin needles. In response to growing global demand, the company has established a stable supply system for these high-quality materials.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260826770424/en/

The scale of the global diabetes crisis is expanding. In line with this trend, the global demand for insulin needles continues to escalate. Furthermore, insulin delivery is evolving toward "painless" experiences that reduce patient burden. Modern designs prioritize minimizing pain and bruising, leading to the widespread adoption of ultra-fine needles. This trend is further supported by the growing popularity of compact, portable pen injectors. Additionally, the global rise in weight-management medications—which also utilize these ultra-fine needles—is further accelerating market expansion. We supply NK-304NKM, a specialized stainless steel for thin-walled welded tubes used in medical and cosmetic applications, most notably for "painless needles". This material offers a superior combination of stable weldability and excellent drawability. Our quality advantage is highly recognized and valued throughout the global market.

Technological Innovation: Transitioning to Laser Welding and Establishing a New Mass Production System
Traditionally, insulin needle manufacturing involved forming tubes from 0.2mm thick base materials using TIG or plasma welding, followed by repeated drawing and heat treatment to achieve ultra-thin gauges.
However, to meet surging global demand, the industry has increasingly transitioned to laser welding. This shift enables significantly higher welding speeds and allows for base materials to be over 50% thinner (e.g., 0.08mm) from the initial stage.
In response to numerous requests from global customers for high-quality materials optimized for laser welding, we have conducted extensive trials in collaboration with leading manufacturers. As a result, we have successfully established a system for the stable mass production and supply of thin-walled, narrow-width materials that meet the highest standards of quality and performance.

Key Product Features and Competitive Strengths
Materials for laser welding demand the same rigorous quality control as those used for conventional TIG and plasma welding. Leveraging our core technical strengths, we achieve exceptional stability even in ultra-thin materials.

  1. Superior Edge Quality:
    Advanced control of the "shear surface ratio" -a critical factor in welding success- minimizes welding defects.
  2. Continuous Stability for Long Coils:
    Consistent weldability is maintained across the entire 4,000-meter coil length, ensuring a stable supply for high-volume production.
  3. High-Precision Dimensional Tolerances:
    We push the limits of thickness and width tolerances to meet the exacting requirements of high-speed laser welding.
  4. Excellent Workability:
    Our materials offer superior ductility and weld zone integrity, allowing them to be drawn into ultra-fine needles without fracturing.

Click here for more details.
https://www.nipponkinzoku.co.jp/assets/images/2026/08/20260826-En-Press-Release.pdf

About NIPPON KINZOKU Group
Our products have been used in a range of areas from the precision field to the construction industry. https://www.nipponkinzoku.co.jp/en/

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260826770424/en/

Contacts

NIPPON KINZOKU CO., LTD.
Production Process & Support Department
https://www.nipponkinzoku.co.jp/en/inquiry -
https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nipponkinz
oku.co.jp%2Fen%2Finquiry&esheet=54593624&newsitemid=20260826770424&lan=en-US&anc
hor=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nipponkinzoku.co.jp%2Fen%2Finquiry&index=3&md5=02ddf19c0f2
cccf9ffa84ce96bd044b1

About Business Wire

For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.

www.businesswire.com

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

Behind the Stage Lights: How Students Learned to Trust Their Voices with Doha Debates14.9.2026 16:40:00 EEST | Press release

During high school years in Model United Nations, Dahlia Al-Ansari learned to argue on behalf of a country she was assigned to represent. But when Doha Debates invited her to join a town hall debate in Toronto this July, she faced an unfamiliar challenge: sharing her own beliefs about a timely issue. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260914150232/en/ Students from Qatar, Canada and Mexico during their visit to the University of Toronto as part of the Doha Debates Town Hall experience in Canada. (Photo: AETOSWire) An 18-year-old biological sciences student at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, Al-Ansari hadn’t traveled to defend a predetermined position. Instead, she discovered that she was there to think critically, express her own viewpoint and remain open to diverse perspectives. This shift required her to navigate uncharted waters, but “I’m happy that it did,” she says. “It’s showing me the importance of sp

Matt Shafer Joins Golub Capital as Head of Golub Equity Continuation Partners14.9.2026 16:30:00 EEST | Press release

Golub Capital (“the Firm”) today announced the appointment of Matt Shafer as Managing Director and Head of the Firm’s GP-led private equity secondaries strategy, Golub Equity Continuation Partners (“GECP”). In this role, he will be responsible for leading the continued growth and development of the strategy and helping expand the Firm’s equity investment capabilities. Matt will work closely with Greg Cashman, Vice Chair and Co-Head of Golub Capital’s Sponsor Finance practice, to expand Golub Capital’s activity in this growing market. Shafer brings nearly three decades of global experience as an investor, financier and advisor working with private equity firms. He was most recently Head of Capital Solutions and U.S. Private Equity at Northleaf Capital Partners. In this role, Shafer helped lead the firm’s private equity investment activities, including secondaries, co‑investments and structured capital. Prior to Northleaf, he was Partner and Head of Americas Private Equity at Vision Capi

HealthCap Invests in AMRA Medical to Accelerate Global Growth in Quantitative MRI14.9.2026 16:19:00 EEST | Press release

AMRA Medical today announced an investment from HealthCap, one of Europe’s leading life science venture capital firms. This milestone marks a significant step in AMRA’s growth, underscoring market confidence in the company’s vision to transform the measurement and understanding of muscle and fat. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260914838191/en/ HealthCap Invests in AMRA Medical to Accelerate Global Growth in Quantitative MRI HealthCap’s backing comes as quantitative MRI gains vital importance in understanding how fat distribution and muscle composition influence disease, treatment response, and patient outcomes. Built on over 15 years of research, AMRA’s proprietary methods move beyond conventional metrics—like weight, and BMI and muscle function tests—to provide the standardized, automated data from advanced muscle and fat imaging necessary for modern clinical research. With its deep scientific expertise and

Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures Announces 2026 Global Cohort of Innovators14.9.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) today announced the 2026 global cohort of its Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures (MSISV). This year’s cohort includes 20 startups and four nonprofits across the Americas and Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) participating in the firm's five-month accelerator program designed to help early-stage innovators develop and scale their impact. Selected from thousands of applications, the 24 organizations will receive a $150,000 equity investment, or grant funding for nonprofits, as well as access to a curated curriculum, networking opportunities and office space. Founders will work closely with a dedicated MSISV team, Entrepreneurs in Residence and senior Morgan Stanley mentors. Following the five-month accelerator program, the cohort will present at a global showcase and demo day in February 2027. MSISV is focused on advancing solutions in four thematic areas where the firm sees significant potential for scale and measurable impact: Environment, Health & Wellb

Textron Aviation and Merlin Introduce Cessna SkyCourier UX Concept Aircraft14.9.2026 15:00:00 EEST | Press release

Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, and Merlin, Inc. today introduced a concept Cessna SkyCourier UX™ aircraft that combines Textron Aviation’s proven Cessna SkyCourier platform with Merlin’s aircraft-agnostic software solution for autonomous aviation. Revealed at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference, the concept explores a new cost-efficient and scalable approach to addressing logistical challenges with supplying forces dispersed across contested operational environments when traditional supply routes are constrained, vulnerable or otherwise unavailable. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260914611105/en/ The Cessna SkyCourier UX concept explores autonomous resupply operations for dispersed forces operating in contested environments “Military planners are increasingly focused on how to sustain forces across distributed and contested operational environments,” said Bob Gibbs, vice president, D

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye