M-iPIS (Mitsubishi Integrated Piping & Instrument System) joining technology

MHI has adhesive-based plate joining technology developed over many years for use in air-brake control devices for railroad cars, including Japan's Shinkansen bullet trains, an application requiring long-term durability in an environment prone to vibration.

M-iPIS employs proprietary technology to further increase joint strength and dramatically improve pressure resistance, air tightness, and reliability. Plates with multiple grooves are butted together, and the areas around the grooves are selectively joined from the outside using FSW (friction stir welding) to create a plate with channels, integrating conventional three-dimensional piping into a two-dimensional design.

The ability to freely design channels makes it possible to realize the advantages of M-iPIS in an extensive range of fields, and MHI can customize the manufacture and supply of M-iPIS products according to the conditions in which they will be used.

Friction stir welding (FSW) is a new technology for joining metals without melting them by using a special tool to heat and stir the areas being joined. MHI has acquired a patent for a process for forming plates by selectively joining areas around channels using a proprietary lap joining method that uses FSW.