The ocean's surface area has decreased to its smallest since measurement began.

The sea ice covering the Arctic is largest during the winter; meanwhile, the sea ice encasing the Antarctic continent is smallest during the summer. However, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced in March 2017 that the surface areas of both locations were at their smallest in the history of satellite measurements. NASA did not go so far as to conclude that this was a result of global warming, but a report appearing in a US academic publication (*1) indicated that heat expansion due to warming of the oceans and melting of terrestrial glaciers could result in sea levels rising by as much as 131cm by 2100.
Among the greenhouse gases that cause global warming, carbon dioxide (CO₂) is emitted in great quantities and has a major impact on the environment. Moreover, CO₂ generated from fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and natural gas makes up 65% (*2) of greenhouse gas emissions. As the CO₂ emitted by the transport sector—such as households' and companies' automobiles and freight vehicles—becomes an issue, fuel cell vehicles are raising hopes as a possible solution. Fuel cell vehicles use a motor that uses hydrogen as a fuel supply and runs on the electricity gained from hydrogen's electrochemical reaction with oxygen. Hydrogen's energy efficiency when generating electricity is high, and the amount of CO₂ emitted during use is zero. Additionally, it will never run out like fossil fuels, meaning it is clean energy that is full of advantages.

“Trenches” are the key to generating efficiency of fuel cell.

The key to the advancement of fuel cell automobiles is miniaturization/weight reduction and output increases for fuel cells; these factors are directly connected to drivability and range. In creating electricity from fuel cells, a part that has a critical role is the “separator.” There are trenches (passages) to supply the hydrogen and oxygen necessary for electricity generation and to eject the water created afterwards, but in order to make the housing lighter, more compact, and more efficient at power generation, it is necessary to reduce the cross section of these trenches and lengthen the passages as much as possible. The issue is how slender and minute the trenches in the mold for creating separators can be made. With the characteristics “strong against wear, tough to break,” NS TOOL's end mill tools for machining are contributing to a solution.
These small tools are making a big impact against worsening environmental problems. With this pride and passion as fuel, we hope to continue seeking an end mill revolution.
*1 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
*2 The Fifth IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Assessment Report, which includes sources in industrial processes