The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is set to unveil the Philippines’ first Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMCen) which aspires to be the country’s leading research center in innovative 3D printing technologies, processes, and materials.

DOST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) Executive Director Dr. Enrico C. Paringit expressed optimism on the prospects of Additive Manufacturing, more popularly known as 3D printing, in the country as it move towards Industry 4.0.

“Additive manufacturing has limitless potentials--from aircrafts and automobile to medical and fashion applications--it is possible to create products for the same or lower cost without compromising quality.  We are hopeful that with the establishment of AMCen we can see more researches geared towards this cutting-edge technology,” he said.

Additive manufacturing, allows rapid fabrication of various three-dimensional objects ranging from small parts and components, to three-dimensional structures such as cars, houses, and bridges. AMCen aims not only to have a user access facility but also to enhance R&D activities with the industry and academia.

This initiative will harness, strengthen, and expand the country’s capabilities in 3D printing and advanced design and manufacturing in the following areas: 1) Aerospace and Defense, 2) Biomedical/Healthcare, 3) Printed Electronics, 4) Agricultural Machinery, and 5) Automotive.

Balik Scientist and Case Western Reserve University professor, Dr. Rigoberto Advincula said that AMCen presents a unique position for the Philippines as it will be one of the first government-led centers in the ASEAN region that aspires to be a game-changer leading to Industry 4.0 goals.

Dr. Advincula will be leading the development of the center together with  researchers from the Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) and the Metals Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC).

The AMCen will be featuring two state-of-the-art research facilities that are seen to spur interest in Additive Manufacturing Research, namely: Multiple Materials Platform for Additive Manufacturing (MATDEV) and the Research on Advanced Prototyping for Product Innovation and Development using Additive Manufacturing Technologies (RAPPID-ADMATEC).

The MATDEV will be the laboratory-scale facility for design, materials development, and testing for additive manufacturing prototyping wherein materials such as ceramics, polymers, nanomaterials, and any combination of two or more of these materials will be developed and optimized. The facility guarantees reduction in material cost, lead time, importation, and wastage.

Materials development for additive manufacturing application shall be coupled with the recommendation or adoption of applicable standards particularly those critical applications of the technology.

On the other other hand, RAPPID-ADMATEC will provide the technology needed to create more innovative designs and speed up prototyping by reducing fabrication and processing time of components and products. Moreover, it will focus on the development and production of complex metal-based parts and materials using metal powders, cater to the production or localization of obsolete parts or repair and replacement of components to increase availability and reliability of existing equipment, as well as to improve manufacturing strategies and product quality through R&D, product development, consultancy and training services. (30)

For reference:

Dr. Rigoberto Advincula’s interview fo AMCen with DOSTv: https://www.facebook.com/DOSTvPH/videos/303892663806679/UzpfSTM1Nzg4ODI1NDM0ODI2NDoxMzk1NjY3ODkzOTAzNjIz/?q=dost%20pcieerd%20rigoberto%20advincula&epa=SEARCH_BOX

Dr. Rigoberto Advincula’s interview as Balik Scientist with DOSTv:

https://www.facebook.com/DOSTvPH/videos/602951723490719/UzpfSTM1Nzg4ODI1NDM0ODI2NDoxMzk2NDIwMzQ3MTYxNzEx/?q=dost%20pcieerd%20rigoberto%20advincula&epa=SEARCH_BOX

Last January 22, Balik Scientist Dr. Richard Alorro paid a courtesy visit to PCIEERD Executive Director, Dr. Enrico Paringit.

Dr. Alorro is an expert in Geo-Environmental Engineering. He is hosted by the Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT), where he will be conducting special seminars and lectures to undergraduate and post-graduate students, academic staff members, and government and industry representatives, together with other universities in Mindanao. He will also be assisting the MSU-IIT College of Engineering and Technology in mentoring graduate and senior undergraduate students on research and development of Metallurgical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Sustainable Development.

Dr. Alorro is currently a university lecturer at the Western Australian School of Mines in Curtin University, West Australia.

The Balik Scientist Program (BSP) is a brain-gain initiative of the Department of Science and Technology to encourage Filipino scientists, technologists, and experts in other countries to return to the Philippines and share their expertise to accelerate scientific, agro-industrial, economic, and human resources development in the country. For more info, visit www.bsp.dost.gov.ph.

Last February 8, Senator Paulo Benigno "Bam" Aquino IV congratulated Dr. Gay Jane Perez, winner of the 2018 ASEAN-US Science Prize for Women, as she pays her courtesy call in his office at the Senate of the Philippines in Pasay City. Accompanying Dr. Perez is her mother and Ms. Lita Suerte-Felipe of the DOST Legislative Liaison Office.

The Eco-Friendly Septic System or Eco-Sep is a self-sustaining, portable, and movable wastewater treatment system that uses an innovative combination of bio-stimulation and filtration enhanced with organominerals, a technology developed by Dr. Merlinda Palencia through the support of DOST-PCIEERD.

The Eco-Sep’s Vigormin Organo Mineral (ViOM) is an odorless, white powder composed of various organo-minerals that has the capability to neutralize the poignant odor and the mucky color in wastewaters or septic water.  Its application significantly improves water quality based on the effluents standards set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Following the successful testing of Eco-Sep in the sewerage systems of the bunkers of Yolanda survivors in Palo, Leyte last 2013 and on a Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs), hotels, jetty ports, and households in Boracay last 2015, DOST Caraga installed and field-tested Eco-Sep in selected tourism areas and environmentally compromised areas through a DOST-PCIEERD funded project titled, “Field Testing of Eco-Friendly Septic System for the Tourism Sector in Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte” or Project FRESH. 

“Since ma-install po ang Eco-Sep dito sa resort na may draining field area, nagkaroon na po kami ng mas maayos na pag-drain ng aming wastewater. Ito po direktang nagiging pandilig sa aming mga halaman. Walang amoy at malinis. Salamat sa DOST dahil isa kami sa mga naging recipient ng Eco-Sep.” said Ms. Gonzales.

Further, she thanked DOST for providing a one-year supply of Virgormin and mentioned that after a year of full implementation of the improved sewerage system thru Eco-Sep, their resort is proud to have met the effluent standards set by DENR.

Enjoining the jumpstart, Sugba Lagoon in the Municipality of Del Carmen, also in Siargao Island will also be launching their Eco-Sep this February 10, 2019.

Realizing the positive outcome, other hotels, beach resorts and LGUs in the island have inquired and expressed adopting Eco-Sep.

Dr. Enrico Paringit, Executive Director of DOST-PCIEERD, expressed assurance that such projects in the future will continually be supported.

“We will continue to provide solutions to societal problems through strategic research and development.” he said.

Dr. Paringit said that DOST-PCIEERD will take the lead in conducting collaborative efforts to maintain and protect the environment and the country’s ecotourism through science and technology interventions.

17 JANUARY 2019 -- To kick off the 2019 UP NIGS (National Institute of Geological Sciences) Lecture Series, Balik Scientist Dr. Daniel Ibarra of Stanford University gave a talk entitled, "The Influence of Erosion, Lithology, and Plants on Weathering."

Dr. Ibarra is currently a post-doctoral fellow at the Department of Geological Sciences in Stanford University. He is hosted by UP NIGS and is currently a part of the Balik Scientist Program (BSP) of DOST.

The Balik Scientist Program (BSP) is a brain-gain initiative to encourage Filipino scientists, technologists, and experts in other countries to return to the Philippines and share their expertise to accelerate scientific, agro-industrial, economic, and human resources development in the country. For more info, visit www.bsp.dost.gov.ph.