The military is among the first clients of the Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMCEN).
The Philippine Army’s Research and Development Center (RDC) tapped AMCEN to manufacture a prototype of its Improvised Explosive Device Distractor, which disarms bombs by initiating a “controlled” explosion inside without destroying the distractor parts and electronics.
With AMCEN’s help, the military was able to develop the materials “that will ultimately protect soldiers from direct contact with the improvised explosive devices,” said Lt. Col. Crisanto Prado, RDC director.
Last week, AMCEN was opened to the public.
The facility, located inside the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) Metals Industry Research and Development Center complex in Bicutan, Taguig, is among the Fabrication Laboratories (FabLabs) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
The advanced facility looks forward to serving the technology needs of manufacturers in defense, aerospace, health and medical services, biotechnology, automotive, electronics, semi-conductors and so on.
The manufacturing facility will be an innovation hub for advanced manufacturing that will offer industrial design and development and rapid prototyping, said Science Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña.
“It is where rapid prototyping is ideal as design alterations can be done quickly and efficiently,” he said.
Rapid prototyping is the fast fabrication of a physical part, model or assembly using computer aided design and additive manufacturing or 3D printing.
“AMCEN cuts the production time especially in the prototyping stage,” de la Peña explained.
“It means more savings and we can now develop more complex designs at a shorter, more efficient way as 3D manufacturing is faster than conventional manufacturing.”
The manufacturing facility and prototyping laboratory aims to push local manufacturing to a higher level by increasing its technological readiness, business sophistication and innovative capacity, he said.
De la Peña said the new facility enables manufacturers to adapt to the emergence of robotics and Artificial Intelligence.
“We are proud of AMCEN as we believe that this is one of the many facilities that intend to increase the knowledge and capabilities of our manufacturers to make us more advanced and globally competitive,” he said.
