AMIC To Play Major Role In Country's Aerospace R&T Development

By Norsyafawati Ab Wahab PUTRAJAYA, Sept 2 (Bernama) -- Aerospace Malaysia Innovation Centre (AMIC) aims to play a major role in country's aerospace research and technology (R&T) activities with the establishment of its physical centre within Asia Aerospace City (AAC) in Subang by 2016. AMIC chief executive officer, Shamsul Kamar Abu Samah, said with the establishment of AAC, Malaysia was getting closer to realising its vision of becoming a major player in the global aerospace market. With the research facility in place, it would further enhance AMIC's initiative in marshalling value-added research activities and developing technologies that could be readily adopted by the industry, he said. "In AAC, we will be looking into the various activities for advanced testing on aerospace products, including the development and production of virtual reality system as well as robotic system to support the aerostructure manufacturing activities," he told Bernama. Shamsul said AMIC planned to place up to 20 technical personnel within the facility from various organisations, both from its local and international research partners. He said the US$1.26 million (RM4 million) Virtual Reality project, which would be ready by next three years, was set up in collaboration with Airbus Group, AMIC, M-Aerotech, Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysian Institute of Aviation Technology and Kolej Kemahiran Tinggi MARA, Melaka. Shamsul said the project was expected to serve the industry's needs for advanced training system such as CTRM Aero Composites and Spirit AeroSystems Malaysia. "In the next two years we want to see results for the system integration and in the last one year the adoption of the system in the aerospace manufacturing training modules and validation," he said. He said in order to move forward in this lucrative industry, AMIC, as an industry-driven aerospace research centre, aimed to enrich the research and development activities based on future needs in global industry. This would also become one of the main highlights in the new National Aerospace Blueprint 2015-2030 currently being formulated by Malaysian Industry-Government Group For High Technology (MIGHT), he said. "Yes, we have the research and development activities housed in local universities, but most concentrate on lower Technology Readiness Level. Hence, to strengthen our technical expertise we also collaborate with international research organisations like University of Nottingham, UK and the Cooperative Research Centre For Advanced Composite Structures, Australia", he said. Shamsul said while AAC's R&T facilities were currently being developed, AMIC would commence its industry-led research activities in a research laboratory hosted by the German-Malaysian Institute, also under the initiative of AAC. Earlier this year, AMIC established a Centre Of Excellence in collaboration with Airbus, Universiti Putra Malaysia, MIGHT, BioTech Corp and CIRAD (a French research centre) to conduct a study related to the production of sustainable jet fuels in Malaysia. He said the with the collaboration with Rolls-Royce and Airbus Group, AMIC has been guided by these two industry's heavyweights to determine the technology needed in future as well as the various focus areas to be developed for next foreseeable 10-20 years from now in order to remain competitive in the global supply chain. -- BERNAMA