RTJ_vol6_EN

4/24

Throughout its history, Rion has contributed to society through its numerous products.Of these, particle counters have provided significant support in the fields of medicine and semiconductor manufacturing in Japan.This issue introduces the story behind the development of Japan’s first domestically manufactured airborne particle counter.We’ll take a look at the history of this instrument with Dr. Shuji Fujii, someone with firsthand knowledge of that era.The KC-01 Airborne Particle CounterDeveloped in 1976 and commercially introduced the following year in 1977, the KC-01 was Japan’s first airborne particle counter. It was capable of making simultaneous measurements of up to five different particle sizes, with a minimum measurable particle size of 0.3 µm.Behind the Development of Japan’s First Particle CounterDevelopment of particle counters in the 1970s accelerated to meet the need to purify hospital airPROJECT STORYA Documentary of Product Development at RionInterview and article by Noriaki Okamoto, photos by Yuki Akaba2