Manufacture of optical specialty glasses, molded lenses, lens arrays and filters with proprietary melting technology.
Isuzu Glass Ltd. (株式会社五鈴精工硝子)
Izumisano, Osaka (Japan) · Tokyo (Japan) · Torrance, CA (USA)New on Amplifa
About Isuzu Glass
Isuzu Glass Ltd. was founded in 1905 as a glass button manufactory and is today a manufacturer based in Izumisano, Osaka, specializing in optical specialty glasses and press-molded optical elements. Its core business comprises optical glass, aspherical press-molded lenses, integrated lens and microlens arrays, specialty filters for the IR and UV ranges as well as custom melts in small quantities from 100 g to 100 kg. Production takes place in its own laboratory melting furnaces up to 1600 °C with clay, quartz and platinum crucibles, followed by cutting, grinding, polishing and shaping; additionally, optical design, prototyping and measurement services (refractive index, transmission) are offered. Buying industries include medical technology, biochemistry, aerospace, energy, semiconductors, photonics, sensor technology, consumer electronics and lighting. Customers include Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Sony, Hamamatsu Photonics, SICK AG, Steiner-Optik and NASA. The company employs 87 staff (group total), operates alongside the main Rinku plant an office in Tokyo as well as the US company ISUZU GLASS, INC. in Torrance, California.
- Site
- 598-0048 Izumisano, Osaka
- Processes
- Custom Glass Melting (Small-Batch Melting, Laboratory Furnace), Press-Molding of Aspherical Lenses (型押し非球面レンズ), Integrated Lens Array Manufacturing (一体型レンズアレイ), Press-Molded Micro Lens Array (プレス成型マイクロレンズアレイ), Ion Exchange Method for Micro Optical Elements (ステイン法によるマイクロ光学素子), Cutting, Grinding, Polishing and Shaping of Glass (Post-Processing), Optical Design & Solutions (Optical Design Services), Heat-Absorbing Glass Manufacturing (熱線吸収ガラス)
- Materials
- IR Transmitting Glass (IIR-SF1), Laser Glass (High-Power Laser Amplifier Glass), Heat-Absorbing Glass (熱線吸収ガラス), Sulfide Glass for Lithium-Ion Battery Anode Active Material, Optical Glass (specialty glass for lenses), Glass for Glass Buttons (硝子釦), Glass for Go Stones (硝子碁石), Infrared-Transmitting Glass
- Certificates
- ISO 9001, ISO 14001
- Founded
- 1905
- Employees
- 87
- Industries
- Medical Technology, Biochemistry, Aerospace, Energy, Semiconductors, Photonics
- 01
Technical Assessment & Feasibility
- 02
Optical Design & Material Selection
- 03
Glass Melting in Laboratory Furnace (up to 1600 °C)
- 04
Press Molding / Molding
- 05
Cutting, Grinding, Polishing
- 06
Metrology & Inspection
- 07
Scale-up to Mass Production
Glass Materials & Processes
Infrared-Transmitting Glass
Developed IR glass for filters and sensor applications in the infrared range.
Laser Glass
Glass for high-power laser amplifiers.
Heat-Absorbing Glass
Glass for absorbing heat radiation, produced since the beginning of production in the company's history.
Sulfide Glass
Patented anode active material based on sulfide glass for lithium-ion secondary batteries.
Optical Glass
Specialty glass for lenses, filters and lens arrays.
Locations
Rinku Plant
JPHead Office & Manufacturing
- Part weight / size
- Melting batches 100 g–100 kg
- Lot size
- Small quantities to series
- Materials
- Optical Glass, IIR-SF1, Laser Glass, Filter Glasses
- Laboratory melting furnaces up to 1600 °C
- Clay, quartz and platinum crucibles
- Press molding machines for lenses and lens arrays
- Grinding and polishing equipment
Tokyo
JPSales Office
Torrance, CA
USISUZU GLASS, INC. – Overseas Base
Components & Products
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custom Glass Melting (Small-Batch Melting, Laboratory Furnace)Casting | – | – | 100 g – 100 kg | 100 g – 100 kg | Optical Glass, Various glass compositions |
| Press-Molding of Aspherical Lenses (型押し非球面レンズ)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Optical Glass |
| Integrated Lens Array Manufacturing (一体型レンズアレイ)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Optical Glass |
| Press-Molded Micro Lens Array (プレス成型マイクロレンズアレイ)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Optical Glass |
| Ion Exchange Method for Micro Optical Elements (ステイン法によるマイクロ光学素子)Surface | – | – | – | – | Optical Glass |
| Cutting, Grinding, Polishing and Shaping of Glass (Post-Processing)Machining | – | – | – | – | Optical Glass |
| Optical Design & Solutions (Optical Design Services)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Heat-Absorbing Glass Manufacturing (熱線吸収ガラス)Casting | – | – | – | – | Heat-Absorbing Glass |
| IR Range Filter ManufacturingSurface | – | – | – | – | Optical Glass |
| UV Range Filter ManufacturingSurface | – | – | – | – | Optical Glass |
| Property Measurement of Glass after Melting (Refractive Index, Transmittance)Testing | – | – | – | – | Optical Glass |
4 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laboratory Glass Melting Furnace (up to 1600°C, dedicated lab furnaces) | – | – | – | – | Head Office / Rinku Factory, Izumisano, Osaka |
| Crucibles for Melting (Clay, Quartz, Platinum) | – | – | – | – | Head Office / Rinku Factory, Izumisano, Osaka |
| Patented Automatic Press Machine for Glass Go Stones (自社開発の特許自動機) | – | – | – | – | Historic production site |
| Press Molding Machine for Aspherical Lenses / Integrated Lens Arrays / Micro Lens Arrays | – | – | – | – | Rinku Factory, Izumisano, Osaka |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality & Certification
Isuzu Glass is certified to ISO 9001 (No. 09271-A) and ISO 14001 (No. 09271-B) by Intertek; glass properties such as refractive index and transmission are measured after the melt.
| Evidence | Izumisano |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |
| ISO 14001 |
History
- 1905
Foundation as Tarumi Glass Manufacturing Works (垂水硝子製造所), start of glass button production.
Foundation of Nihon Glass Button Co. through a government-mandated corporate merger.
Start of production of glass Go stones with a proprietary patented full automatic machine.
Renaming to Isuzu Seiko Glass Co., Ltd. (五鈴精工硝子株式会社).
Start of production of heat-absorbing glass.
Start of production of press-molded aspherical lenses.
Start of production of integrated lens arrays.
Development and production of press-molded microlens arrays; selected as a contract research operator of the JST.
Research on producing micro-optical elements via ion exchange (Stein method); selected for the JST program for innovative technology development.
Completion of the Rinku plant in Izumisano, Osaka.
Award as one of the '300 high-performing SME manufacturing companies' (METI/SME Agency).
Development of the infrared-transmitting glass IIR-SF1.
Development of laser glass for high-power laser amplification.
Patent for sulfide glass anode active material for lithium-ion secondary batteries.
Renaming to Isuzu Glass Ltd. (株式会社五鈴精工硝子); start of contract optical design.
- 2026-05
Change in Representative Director and President to Noriyoshi Higashi.