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Nagato Lab
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The lab transforms manufacturing by creating fine surface structures with lasers and powders.
AboutAbout the lab
Creating new manufacturing through production engineering
Nagato Lab studies production engineering, the foundation of manufacturing, and in particular methods for efficiently creating fine surface structures using lasers and powders.
Using nanoimprint, 3D printing, and laser joining, the lab works on elemental technologies for fuel cells, secondary batteries, motors, and more.
The lab also pursues research on automatically searching for processing conditions based on data, and research that explores human sensibility and creativity through brain activity.
While advancing joint research with many industrial partners, the lab aims to develop leaders for both academia and industry.
Key terms
- Nanoimprint
- A fabrication method that presses a mold against a material to transfer patterns on the scale of nanometers onto its surface
- Powder
- A collection of fine particles. Powders of metals, ceramics, and similar materials are consolidated to make parts and electrodes
- Process Informatics
- A method that uses data and machine learning to efficiently find optimal conditions in manufacturing processes
NewsLab news
Held an open lab in conjunction with the Mechanical Engineering Open House
Results of joint research with Kubota received the Technology Award of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers
A paper on catalyst ink for polymer electrolyte fuel cells was published
An undergraduate student received the Student Encouragement Award at the 91st Annual Meeting of the Society of Chemical Engineers, Japan
Assistant Professor Akihisa Tanaka received the Graduate School of Engineering Dean's Award (Research, Doctoral)
ResearchResearch themes
Under the banner of "AI-robot-driven manufacturing," the lab works to innovate production engineering by combining process informatics and AI, robotics, and human perspectives with processes that use powders and lasers. Its main targets are powder-based films that support fuel cells and rechargeable batteries, and precision 3D printing that supports mobility and medicine.
*Illustrative imageSurface Micro-fabrication
Fine structures on a surface give rise to a variety of functions, such as optical, thermal, and electrical ones. The lab has developed a method that heats only the surface with a laser to transfer fine structures, and is exploring applications in optical films, fuel cells, and more.
*Illustrative imageLaser Processing of Powders
Metal 3D printing is a fabrication method that builds three-dimensional objects by repeatedly melting powder with a laser and letting it solidify. The lab studies how to optimize the process by uncovering the complex phenomena involved, which combine heat, flow, and the mechanics of materials.
*Illustrative imageProcess Informatics
In powder processes that disperse, knead, coat, and dry powders, the lab develops data-driven methods that measure data representing the phenomena well and apply machine learning to it, in order to efficiently find optimal conditions.
*Illustrative imageMeasuring Users' Sensibility
To reflect the quality of human sensibility, such as how a product looks, sounds, and feels, in design, the lab aims to capture and model users' sensibility by measuring EEG, brain images, and eye gaze.
MembersFaculty
The members of Nagato Lab consist of faculty, researchers, academic staff, secretaries, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorKeisuke NagatoPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorAkihisa Akihisa TanakaPublications ↗
- Project Assistant ProfessorJiaqiang DangPublications ↗
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “FZU 3Dprinting 1” René Volfík / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Surface Micro-fabrication: “Nanoimprint mold of a diffractive lens” Alexander Koshelev / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Laser Processing of Powders: “Selective laser melting system schematic” Materialgeeza / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Process Informatics: “Zinc powder particles obtained by electroextraction” Sualur / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Measuring Users' Sensibility: “Fingertapping experiment DXIII” Zereshk / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (吉岡研究室): “A Micrometer Screw guage” Jeremyida002 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (山川研究室): “Prototype robot parallèle PAR4” FrancoisPierrot34 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (柳本研究室): “Hengersor08” Original uploader was Szalax at hu.wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (知能化モビリティ研究室): “Zoox Toyota Highlander Test Vehicle - Sensor Closeup - San Francisco, May 2025 07” 9yz / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
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