DOST-ITDI to hun rearend revolution through its webcast @ Innohub in Philippines

 

DOST-ITDI to spindle backend upheaval through its webcast @ Innohub in Philippines

The Industrial Technology Development Institute (DOST-ITDI), in its bid to contribute to industrialization and progress through R&D initiatives, will conduct a webcast for its newly opened Modular Multi-Industry Innovation Center (MMIC) or InnoHub sa Pinas on March 31, 2021.

Following MMIC’s successful launch in December 2020 and inauguration in February 2021, ITDI once again invites industry partners and stakeholders to share their insights and expectations about the new facility.

InnoHub sa Pinas is an industrial processing facility with multifunctional/multi-application modular unit operation equipment that can be retrofitted to accommodate different manufacturing lines. It is built to serve the needs of the food, personal care, and pharma-nutraceutical industries using its three main processing lines for nut/seed and oils, mix blend powders, and liquids/emulsions which rely mainly on by-products of commercial operations as raw material. In effect, new or novel products are made out of processing wastes through backend innovation.

Further, InnoHub sa Pinas is open to academe and other interested stakeholders for use in research and development of new products, product equivalent, product variances and product reintroduction.

As one of DOST’s big 20 tickets for 2020, the facility is set to become a one-stop-shop for product conceptualization, development, and marketing, thus collaboration with significant industry and other users is important to sustain efficient services.

It expects that with InnoHub sa Pinas’ modern equipment and devices, as well as experts to lead the operation, previous deficiencies that may hinder advancement in STI will be reduced.

 

(DDGotis\\ DOST- ITDI S&T Media Service)

DOST-ITDI establish MATDEV forum

 

The Industrial Technology Development Institute (DOST-ITDI) is gathering industry, academe, government, and non-profit organizations in a stakeholders’ forum to be held on March 25, 2021, via the Zoom Meeting platform, to present MATDEV Laboratory’s current and future activities on additive manufacturing (AM).

AM is the technique being used by the MATDEV Laboratory to produce models and prototypes directly from three-dimensional (3D) computer-aided design (CAD) without using any tools or fixtures. Funded by the DOST Grants-In-Aid Program, MATDEV Laboratory is a project under the Advanced Additive Manufacturing R&D Program.

Inaugurated on December 22, 2020, the MATDEV Laboratory undertakes research and development on materials for use in additive manufactured products to reduce the cost of raw materials by using local resources.

However, AM has been in use since the 1980s with Hideo Kodama of the Nagoya Municipal Industrial Research Institute inventing two AM photopolymer rapid prototyping systems in 1981. Today, the AM process of making a product by adding successive layers of material is now often referred to as 3D printing.

Compared with traditional production methods or subtractive manufacturing, AM requires less hard tooling and assembly and offers greater customization or bespoke manufacturing at shorter time to market.

AM ensures continual availability of spare parts, which is particularly useful in asset-heavy industries such as aerospace, automotive, and medical. In some countries, the use of AM is widespread in machineries like turbines, handling and robotics, lifestyle and sports like jewelry and biking, and custom parts of classic cars.

DOST-ITDI foresees that in the long run, AM can completely change the way products are designed and built, as well as distributed, sold, and serviced. It is thus advocating AM to the industry through the stakeholder’s forum.

ITDI Director Dr. Annabelle V. Briones admits that “AM is where we might be soon as the rest of the world catches up on its use, which can edge out the competitiveness of our local businesses. Right now, most of our manufacturing firms are into subtractive manufacturing.”

Subtractive manufacturing involves cutting away from a solid block of material. A milling machine cutting/hollowing out a piece of metal or plastic is an example of subtractive manufacturing.

However, most of AM’s current users around the globe think that, “As it currently stands, it is unlikely that additive manufacturing will replace subtractive manufacturing any time soon. This is because both sets of processes have a very contrasting set of advantages and disadvantages, meaning that each can play to the strengths of the other’s weaknesses.”

Director Briones added that, “AM has been steadily growing a following, primarily because of its big market, which researchandmarkets.com
reported at $12 billion in 2020.”

Currently, analysts at Global Market Insights, Inc. believe that the overall economic impact created by AM could reach $100 billion to $250 billion by 2025, “… if adoption across industries worldwide continues at today’s rate.” This potential is seen to come from the aerospace and defense, automotive, medical, and consumer goods industries.

Through the forum, DOST-ITDI hopes to inform concerned industries on AM, its value chain, future players, and the business model which may apply to local materials manufacturers. (AMGuevarra\\ DOST-ITDI S&T Media Service Service)

FDA fully authorized SPUTNIK V for urgent situation

The Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency use authorization (EUA) to Sputnik V, one of Russia’s COVID-19 vaccines, today, 19 March 2021, as announced by FDA Director General Eric Domingo during the Department of Health (DOH)’s Special Briefing.

Authorized for limited use among Filipino individuals aged 18 and above, the non-replicating viral vector COVID-19 vaccine was developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology through the support of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). Both Gamaleya and RDIF were identified by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), which chairs the Task Group on Vaccine Evaluation and Selection (TG VES), as one of its bilateral partners for the possible conduct of vaccine clinical trials in the Philippines. The DOST-convened Vaccine Expert Panel (VEP) has reviewed the initial clinical trial data of Sputnik V, which served as one of the bases for the FDA’s approval of the vaccine’s EUA application.

As early as August 2020, the DOST-led TG VES has been in contact with Gamaleya and RDIF, through the assistance of both the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Philippines, in terms of COVID-19 vaccine development, and more recently, in Gamaleya’s submission of the required documents to FDA for their EUA application. 

The DOST welcomes this development as the country now has an additional approved  vaccine in its portfolio for the National COVID-19 Vaccination Program. 

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