Mitsui Chemicals’ Novel Seawater-Based Composite NAGORI™ Selected for Tombow Pencil’s Innovative FUMI Mechanical Pencil

Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo: 4183; President & CEO: HASHIMOTO Osamu) announced that NAGORI™, a novel composite material developed by Mitsui Chemicals and made using minerals extracted from seawater, has been selected as the body material for the new FUMI mechanical pencil from Tombow Pencil Co., Ltd. (Kita, Tokyo; President & CEO: FUKUSHIMA Junichi).

The FUMI mechanical pencil’s novel composite makes it feel as smooth as unglazed pottery, cool to the touch, and a delight to hold. The product will be released at stationery retailers and in stationery sections throughout Japan starting from March 5.

About FUMI

FUMI is a 0.5-mm mechanical pencil with a click mechanism and a body made from NAGORI™ (excluding the pencil’s metal tip and clicker). It features a smooth, dry-to-the-touch surface reminiscent of unglazed ceramics or natural stone, and boasts excellent thermal conductivity, allowing it to quickly transfer heat and remain a pleasure to hold. Further, because the material used has a weight similar to pottery, the product supports pen pressure to help make smooth strokes.

FUMI mechanical pencils will be available in four colors, each featuring gentle, matte, earthy tones akin to ceramics or natural stone: Stone Black, Sea Blue, Shell White, and Sand Gray. The surface of each pencil has its own unique patterns evoking ripples and stone grain – no two are the same.

• FUMI product homepage: https://www.tombow.com/en/products/fumi/

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Specifications:

Main body model number: SH-FM

Mechanism: Click-type

Shaft and clicker material: NAGORI™ (Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.)

Tip material: Machined & plated brass

Clip material: Plated carbon steel

Lead diameter: 0.5 mm

Pencil dimensions: 16 mm maximum width x 142 mm length

Pencil weight: 19.5 g

Packaging dimensions: 50 mm width x 17 mm thickness x 160 mm length

Packaged product weight: 31 g

About NAGORI™

NAGORI™ is a novel composite material developed by Mitsui Chemicals and made using mineral components extracted from seawater. The material’s development was sparked by a researcher’s observation that meals eaten off plastic tableware feel bland, and pursued through the Mitsui Chemicals Material Oriented Laboratory (MOLp™).

By capitalizing on its compounding technologies, Mitsui Chemicals has managed to make NAGORI™ from up to 75 percent seawater-derived minerals. The resulting composite exhibits the benefits of durable, highly shapeable plastic, as well as weight, texture and thermal conductivity similar to those of ceramics or natural stone. The material was selected for the Good Design Award in 2018, where it also made the Good Design Best 100.

About the Mitsui Chemicals Material Oriented Laboratory (MOLp™)

MOLp™ is an open laboratory project by the Mitsui Chemicals Group which aims to discover the hidden enchantment and functional value of materials by making full use of multiple senses and share the results for the sake of a better society. Operated with a flat, sandbox-like organizational structure run by volunteer employees, the laboratory explores new possibilities for communication through materials.

• MOLp™ homepage: https://jp.mitsuichemicals.com/en/molp/index.htm