JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #80 - April 2013 - 24

education

R

epublic Polytechnic
offers a broad range of
courses, and one of these
is the A291 module dedicated
to Materials Science. The aim
for this module is to introduce
students to the different types
of manufacturing materials
(e.g. metals, alloys, ceramics,
polymers, biomaterials and
composites), with emphasis
on the relationship between
microstructure, properties,
applications and performance
of the materials. This module
also introduces biomaterials,
electronic materials and nano-

S

T Kinetics and Republic Polytechnic jointly
launch Advanced
Engineering Composite Lab
(ACEL).
On 10 April 2012, ST Kinetics and Republic Polytechnic (RP) jointly launched
the Advanced Engineering
Composite Lab (ACEL), a
laboratory specializing in
composite material science
research and production,
and possibly the first one in
Southeast Asia to specialize
in natural fibre studies.
Kick-started by a S$3m
investment from ST Kinetics,
ACEL will house customized equipment and facilities for the advancement of
composite material research.
Located in RP, ACEL will

A

s you can see after reading
all this information,
Singapore’s development strategy does not neglect
composite materials. Advanced
materials and their applications
in the defence, safety, offshore
and aerospace sectors constitute

technology. Students should
be able to appreciate that
materials science is a multidisciplinary subject that plays
an integral part in engineering
systems and in the biomedical
field. They should also gain
an awareness of the role of
materials science in serving
the society and improving the
lives of people. n
More information:
www.rp.edu.sg

The new Republic Polytechnic campus is located on a 20-hectare site near
the Woodlands MRT station, Singapore

be dedicated to the research
and production of composite
materials that incorporate
natural fibre, such as silk, as
a constituent material.
RP and ST Kinetics’ researchers will work together
at the laboratory to research
and develop novel composite
fabrics for high-performance
applications in the aerospace,
marine, automobile, textiles
and sports industries. The
outcome of the research
pioneered at ACEL will find
its way into a wide range of
industrial applications. Key
materials researched include
silkworm silk, naturally
harvested and regenerated
spider silk, and even graphene, a material that is currently under intense global
research.
Under the guidance of experienced researchers from

the industry, RP students
will be involved in the
hands-on development of
cutting-edge technologies
that facilitate the fabrication
and production of composite materials. They will also
benefit from an internship
of at least six months with
ST Kinetics, providing them
with opportunities to learn
from the industry. During
the launch, ST Kinetics also
signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with
A*STAR’s Institute of Materials Research and Engineering. The MoU formalizes
both parties’ intent to undertake collaborative research
and development in the area
of functional silk technology,
an innovation from A*STAR
that can enhance the functional properties of the silk
from silkworms, one of the

key materials in the research
conducted at ACEL.
“The Advanced Composite
Engineering Lab breaks new
ground for the research and
production of advanced composite materials in Singapore.
The collaboration with
ST Kinetics is an exciting
opportunity for Republic
Polytechnic to play a role in
enhancing innovation and
developing new technologies. It will also allow final
year students the opportunity to create composite
material products needed in
today’s market. This launch
is particularly significant,
as we celebrate our 10th anniversary in 2012,” said Yeo
Li Pheow, Principal/CEO,
Republic Polytechnic. n

one of the government’s primary
concerns. Many collaborative
programmes are on-going, and
partnerships have been signed
with universities abroad.
For now, the different research
programmes depend on various
structures, but it wouldn’t be

too surprising if the field of composites were to become a more
specific focus in the near future,
subject to a more centralized
organization in the form of a
cluster, for example. Given the
increasing importance of these
materials and of their role in Sin-

gapore’s economy, particularly
for defence and for MRO operations, pooling the resources
would be very profitable. n

24 jec composites magazine / No80 April 2013

More information:
www.stengg.com

More information:
www.jeccomposites.com
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JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #80 - April 2013

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