Three years ago, Iwatani came out with its trump card the ‘Hydrocut, a cutting gas based primarily on hydrogen. The company already has two factories working on this product and now, according to The Gas Review (TGR), another two companies have entered this space.
Joining Iwatani in the marketplace for hydrogen cutting gas are Taiyo Nippon Sanso (TNSC) and Koike Sanso Kogyo.
Since May 2011, Iwatani has been marketing Hydrocut, a composition of 60% hydrogen and 40% ethylene. The company operates dedicated filling facilities at two locations, one at its Himeji Plant and the other at the Chiba Plant #2 of Iwatani Industrial Gases.
One of the reasons that the company became involved in the development of Hydrocut was the shrinking of the acetylene market. Iwatani is also a producer of acetylene and the company had been consolidating and abolishing production facilities in a programme of rationalisation. Taking into consideration the future profitability of this business, the company embarked upon the development of an alternative; Iwatani was also keen to get away from the welded cylinders used for acetylene, as it strived for the efficient use of assets such as its seamless cylinders.
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