The Smart Alloys and Manufacturing Research Team focuses on research and development and also provides technical services in the fields of metallurgy, advanced metal forming, and metal surface improvement using the team’s expertise along with advanced scientific tools and models. The mission of the research team is to
- Increase the capacity and efficiency of manufacturing processes and materials
- Generate and disseminate new knowledge from research works
- Support technology transfer to the industry
- Provide solution to technical problems
Our partners and clients are in the government sector such as the Royal Thai Navy and the State Railway of Thailand, and the private sector from the medical, aviation, electronic, and jewelry industries. The team’s expertise is on metal and alloy materials especially titanium, titanium alloys and stainless steel.
Thailand Toray Science Foundation Award for 2023 (Organisation category)
Examples of samples and products from our research team
Laboratories in our research team
- Near Net Shape Metal Manufacturing Laboratory, focusing on Metal Injection Moulding (MIM) and Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing for Metal (metal MEX)
- Surface Enhancement Laboratory focusing on mechanical surface treatment by fine particle shot peening
Examples of on-going projects
- Formulation of material database for metal injection moulded alloys (Contract research project)
- Development of 316L-stainless-steel filament for metal 3D printing to produce complex and near-net-shape parts (National funding with a private company)
- Improving properties of metal injection moulded Ti and its alloys (Co-research project)
- High quality and high performance 3D printing filaments for physical rehabilitation
Examples of completed projects
- Fabrication of Open-Cell Commercially Pure Titanium Foam using Slurry Impregnated Polymeric Foam (Co-research project)
- Effects of Sintering Atmosphere on Properties of Stainless steel (Contract research project)
- Novel low-modulus titanium alloy for biomedical applications (International and national funding – Newton fund and PMUC)
- Improving fatigue properties of MIMed Ti alloys (Co-research project)
- Life prediction and wear mitigation of wheel and rail (National funding)
- Improving the Reliability of Wheelset (National funding)
- Technical feasibility study of promoting Thai surface treatment industry towards domestic production capability for modern transport parts (National funding)
- Construction of Environmental Low Load Type Advanced Production Processes of Parts for Car in Thailand which Uses Metal Injection Moulding (MIM) Process (International funding – NEDO)
- Microstructure and mechanical properties of 17-4PH stainless steel fabricated by fused deposition modelling process (Contract research project)
- Optimising Annealing Condition for 3D-Printed Bronze to Reduce Hardness (Contract research project)
- Characterisation of as-printed and heat treated Ti-6Al-4V produced by additive manufacturing (National funding)
- Understanding material characteristics of titanium alloy from various preparation methods (Phase 1) (National funding with a private company)
- Development of a 3D material model for compaction of metal powder (National funding)
- Optimisation of Process Parameters for Sintering Metal Injection Moulded Commercially Pure Titanium (Co-research project)
- Fabrication of Parts by Injection Moulding and Sintering Process for Titanium Alloy Ti-6Al-4V (Co-research project)
- Optimising the Sintering of Ni-Ti Shape Memory Alloy (Co-research project)
- Feasibility Study of Implementing Metal Injection Moulding for Producing Stainless Steel 17-4PH Plan Lamelle (Contract research project)
- Feasibility Study of Implementing Metal Injection Moulding for Stainless Steel 304L (Contract research project)
- Mould Design and Making for Metal Injection Moulded Cervical Plate and screw (National funding with a private company)
- Mould Design and Making for Metal Injection Moulded Spinal Crosslink (National funding with a private company)
- 0.3 and 1L kneader
- 50T injection moulding machines for metal
- Filament 3D printer
- Granule 3D printer
- 600 ºC debinding furnace under air or nitrogen atmosphere
- Solvent debinding system
- 1500 ºC sintering furnace under vacuum or controlled atmosphere
- 1000 ºC multifunction tribometer
- Fine particle shot peening machine
- Fretting wear machine
- Twin disk machine
- SEM, EDS, EBSD, EPMA
Smart Alloys and Manufacturing Research Team
Dr. Anchalee Manonukul
Tel. 0 2564 6500 ext. 4570
E-mail: anchalm@mtec.or.th
Dr. Chanun Suwanpreecha
Tel. 02 564 6500 ext. 4638
Email: chanun.suw@mtec.or.th
