Tanabe Shiga Factory Tour: Exhaust Manufacturing

[TanabeUSA]

The following article has been hosted on our site, and I thought that it would be interesting to post this up as a tech article for the forum. There are also a few other tech articles hosted on the site, so if you would like to check them out please feel free to do so.


Tanabe high performance exhaust systems are made 100% in Japan at the Tanabe Shiga Factory. From the mufflers, piping, and even the hangars and flanges, Tanabe systems are constructed in-house, in their entirety. Each Tanabe exhaust component is made using a high level of engineering, hand-crafted care, and an unprecedented level of quality that creates a special bond with many owners who purchase these unique systems.

The exhaust manufacturing section of the Tanabe Shiga Factory employs some of the most advanced computer aided machinery, precision laser cutting tools, high quality materials and a group of highly dedicated, skilled craftsmen and engineers. During the R&D of each exhaust system, an in-house Bosch four wheel dynamometer is used to test power and function of each exhaust system.

An initial founding member of JASMA (Japan Sports Muffler Association) over 15 years ago, the Tanabe exhaust system is the only one of its kind to be completely manufactured and assembled in-house, in Japan, that is readily available to North America to have the highly coveted ISO9001 certification.

During each phase of production, each component undergoes an exhaustive series of inspections to ensure that the engineering requirements for material quality, fitment, weld quality and function are of the highest specification.


1. SET PIPING & MANDREL BENDING
Piping is the first component of the exhaust system to be created. Using engineering data gathered during R&D, the computer is programmed to cut the high grade SUS304 stainless piping to exact lengths and sections. The piping is then sent to the CNC mandrel bender, where engineering schematics and programs are loaded, and the machine produces exact replicas of the engineering department's production prototype piping. When the batch is finished, the piping is sorted and stored for assembly.




2. MUFFLER CONSTRUCTION
Many parts of the muffler construction phase are a Tanabe trade secret, which helps the exhaust systems acheive their beautiful, deep tone. During this phase, the computer is programmed for muffler type and vehicle application. This determines the internal construction type (chambered, loop or straight through) and most importantly, the density of the new Advantex internal packing material to be used. Each main muffler and sub muffler has a carefully calculated formula for packing material, to acheive an optimal balance of flow and noise reduction. High luster SUS304 sheets are cut to length, stamped with the Tanabe logo, and are then shaped according to canister type. The canister and internal assemblies are then assembled, and sealed by a highly precise robotic TIG welder.




3. BRANDING AND TIP CONSTRUCTION
Branding and identifier plates are tack welded by hand onto the completed muffler canisters, sub mufflers, resonators and piping sections. These identifiers contain a production number, part number, and the Tanabe logo and exhaust name, for authenticity and the highest level of quality assurance. The identifiers help the engineers track any minor changes they may make to an exhaust system design, and are an extra step Tanabe takes in quality production, which helped Tanabe receive the esteemed ISO9001 certification. Tips are designed and constructed in house, and are sorted according to size, length and diameter for final assembly with the muffler and exhaust system piping.




4. HANGAR AND FLANGE CONSTRUCTION
Even all of the hangars and flanges found in Tanabe performance exhausts are completely constructed in-house. A combination of computer aided design, and human interaction are used to create these. The SUS304 hangar's sizes, diameters and lengths are determined during the R&D phase, and are bent and sorted according to vehicle make and model. The flanges are cut from SUS304 stainless steel using a CAD assisted precision laser cutter. The thickness of each flange is carefully determined by the engineering department for each vehicle, depending on placement on the exhaust system. On areas of higher stress, a stronger, thicker flange is used. On areas of lower stress, lighter weight pressed flanges are use. These flanges are manufactured and stored for assembly according to bolt pattern, pipe diameter, and application.




5. EXHAUST SYSTEM WELDING AND ASSEMBLY
Once all other exhaust components are completed, the finished pieces are sent for final assembly and welding. Tanabe's highly skilled welders perform the necessary manual functions that require a high level of craftsmanship and accuracy that are beyond the limitations of machine assisted production. A final inspection is performed on all of the pieces before being sent for packaging and boxing.




6. PACKAGING AND BOXING
The final product is delivered for cleaning treatment, for a quality finish. The exhaust system is then carefully packaged, wrapped, and boxed to protect the exhaust system and it's finish from external damage.

[kdashy]

Neato.

Somehow I thought it would be less complicated than that.

[koukimonster139]

cool thread

reminds me of "How It's Made"


+1

[DJ_Sunrise]

I think I just might buy a Tanabe exhaust next...

-Bart

[CKAMC]

Originally Posted by kdashy

Neato.

Somehow I thought it would be less complicated than that.

There is usually a good reason why things cost a certian amount...

some companies sell on quality, others sell it for what it is (a muffler for example), and others sell for the hype.

like megans sells things for what they are, not for hype or quality.

More pictures of everything else that goes on

[TanabeUSA]

Originally Posted by CKAMC

There is usually a good reason why things cost a certian amount...

some companies sell on quality, others sell it for what it is (a muffler for example), and others sell for the hype.

like megans sells things for what they are, not for hype or quality.

More pictures of everything else that goes on

Great Analogy! We take alot of pride in what we do here at Tanabe. Ill try to post up some more info later today.

[MrChow]

i still want to hear what a tanabe exhaust sounds like on a KA.
I can't find a clip anywhere.

[TanabeUSA]

Originally Posted by MrChow

i still want to hear what a tanabe exhaust sounds like on a KA.
I can't find a clip anywhere.

Have you tried youtube or google video?

[Ian]

I want to see a Coilover factory tour!

[IIIXziuR]

^Yeah that would be killer!

[drift freaq]

ditto on the statement above^^^^ but wait aren't Tanabe's constructed by KYB for Tanabe?

[Slidin240Wayz]

I think they just use KYB Shocks.

R&D and Quality Control at its best.

Carlos

[MrChow]

Originally Posted by TanabeUSA

Have you tried youtube or google video?

Yup. None. Well I think there was one but it was crap.

[TanabeUSA]

Originally Posted by MrChow

Yup. None. Well I think there was one but it was crap.

[ame]http://youtube.com/watch?v=YYwaYufRTko[/ame]


Here are some more pics that you might find interesting. Since OEM exhaust systems are so heavy, there is often alot of room for us to take advantage of weight savings. Our exhaust systems often save up to 40% vs. OEM. We approach this in the exhausts design in its entirety. We run highest grade stainless for our exhaust systems which is extremely strong and allows us to run a thinner(1.2mm)/lighter weight piping than our competitors. We run a solid stainless flange at the cat, where the exhaust system experiences high heat. For the lower heat connections we run stainless pressed flanges which are lighter in weight. We are also the only manufacturer to run hollow hangers. All of our mufflers and submufflers are packed with ADVANTEX packing material. The material is extremely efficent in containing DB levels, which allows us to run a smaller/lightweight canister.

[TanabeUSA]

Originally Posted by MrChow

Yup. None. Well I think there was one but it was crap.

Originally Posted by drift freaq

ditto on the statement above^^^^ but wait aren't Tanabe's constructed by KYB for Tanabe?

Our coilover dampers are manufactured by KYB but the rest of the coilover is designed/manufactured/assembled in our Tanabe Japan Factory. We have chosen to work with KYB because they are an extremely knowldegable company with over 50 years of extistence in Japan, with the technology and machinery to manufacture dampers properly.

[MrChow]

Thanks!
Um.. Do you got one with a idle sound / normal driving??

The OEM manifold and downpipe are stupid heavy if you want to talk about weight. Hehe.

[GSXRJJordan]

Excellent write up - I knew that the Tanabe exhausts are very well made, but I didn't know they are the only ones that are fully made in-house and the only one's to have ISO cert. If only they had CARB cert on the <93db models...

I'd also love to see where my Sustec Pro Sevens are made

[Koopa Troopa]

LOL @ JASMA... That doesn't mean shit to shaken inspectors anymore...

[TanabeUSA]

Originally Posted by GSXRJJordan

Excellent write up - I knew that the Tanabe exhausts are very well made, but I didn't know they are the only ones that are fully made in-house and the only one's to have ISO cert. If only they had CARB cert on the <93db models...

I'd also love to see where my Sustec Pro Sevens are made

No CARB certification but all of the exhausts are catback meaning that no emmissions equipment is altered or replaced. The legal db level is 95 in most states, so you might want to check your local law.

[A Spec Products]

Tanabe USA are cool dudes

They all my homies

As far as quality goes, they are one of the few companies that haven't changed their ways (in a good sense) and still use KYB for their shocks and produce all their exhaust parts without cutting corners

CARB SMARB, you gonna get popped by 5-0 regardless

Even if they see a sticker, they still gonna hassle you if they want to

Plus too CARB certification costs money to do, which will eventually add to the price of the exhaust itself

Then people will complain ohhhh its too expensive

Catch 22 son!

[johngriff]

Originally Posted by TanabeUSA

Laser Cutting! By far one of the best new CAD Technologies around! Now that is Sexy!

[TanabeUSA]

Originally Posted by mainevent212

I want to see a Coilover factory tour!

Ill see if we can get that for you, but it may take some time. We just got a shipment of the Sustec Pro S-OC Coilovers for S14, in from Japan this morning. Weve been on back order on these so if any of you have been waiting on these we now have them in stock.

[Edgar]

exhaust robots rule!!!!!!!!

[TanabeUSA]

Does anyone know how I would go about getting this stickied or moved to a FAQ page. I think that it would be a good reference for users to search later on down the road and I dont want it to get lost.

[DUFFM4N]

awesome article, i love reading/watching things like this (How its Made is a good show lol)

Originally Posted by mainevent212

I want to see a Coilover factory tour!

every summer Eibach holds a huge event/car meet where they offer free tours of their factory all day, for those of you local in socal, i highly suggest checking it out, its usually in May

[CKAMC]

Originally Posted by TanabeUSA

Does anyone know how I would go about getting this stickied or moved to a FAQ page. I think that it would be a good reference for users to search later on down the road and I dont want it to get lost.

contact the moderators/admins

[bing]

Kudos to Tanabe for acknowledging and taking action against against lower cost alternatives like this.

yeah i sell the cheaper stuff but only because it is what people ask for. People dont ask for the good stuff often enough, information like this should help though.

[TanabeUSA]

Originally Posted by DUFFM4N

awesome article, i love reading/watching things like this (How its Made is a good show lol)



every summer Eibach holds a huge event/car meet where they offer free tours of their factory all day, for those of you local in socal, i highly suggest checking it out, its usually in May

Yeah How Its Made is a good show, you never really think about how much goes into producing a product. I wish that we could do a Factory Tour/Meet as well but we would have to fly everyone to Japan. Maybe I can talk to Mr Tanabe about purchasing a Jumbo Jet.

Originally Posted by CKAMC

contact the moderators/admins

Is there a section on the site that lists the moderators?

Originally Posted by bing

Kudos to Tanabe for acknowledging and taking action against against lower cost alternatives like this.

yeah i sell the cheaper stuff but only because it is what people ask for. People dont ask for the good stuff often enough, information like this should help though.

We have always Designed and Manufactured Tanabe products to the highest standards. Tanabe is a family owned company handed down through generations. Their family name is put on every product so they take extreme pride in what we produce.
I definately understand why people buy lesser quality products because this sport is so expensive. But I think that the time, care, and attention to detail that you take in building a vehicle definately shows in the final product.

[s13gold]

talk about quality control!!!!

companies dedicated to quality should do this more often, where it shows the customer what kind of work is put in and then in turn justifies the price.

[mrmephistopheles]

Originally Posted by TanabeUSA

Is there a section on the site that lists the moderators?

http://www.zilvia.net/f/showgroups.php