China adviser warns chipmaking export curbs are 'just a start', as Yellen visit looms

[SBFNews]

China adviser warns chipmaking export curbs are 'just a start', as Yellen visit looms​

Reuters
July 5, 20231:35 PM GMT+8
Updated 2 hours ago

BEIJING/SHANGHAI, July 5 (Reuters) - China's export controls on metals used in making semiconductors are "just a start", an influential trade policy adviser said on Wednesday, as it ramps up a tech fight with the U.S. days before U.S. treasury secretary Janet Yellen visits Beijing.

Shares in some Chinese metals companies rallied for a second session, with investors betting that higher prices on gallium and germanium, which Beijing's export restrictions target, could boost revenues.

Germanium is used in high-speed computer chips, plastics, and in military applications such as night-vision devices as well as satellite imagery sensors. Gallium is used in building radars and radio communication devices, satellites and LEDs.

China's abrupt announcement of controls from Aug. 1 on exports of some gallium and germanium products, also used in electric vehicles (EVs) and fibre optic cables, has sent companies scrambling to secure supplies and bumped up prices.

Announced on the eve of U.S. Independence Day and just before Yellen's planned visit to Beijing from Thursday, analysts said it was clearly timed to send a message to the Biden administration, which has been targeting China's chip sector and pushing allies such as Japan and Netherlands to follow suit.

China's move has also raised concerns on whether restrictions on rare earth exports could follow, they said, pointing to how it curbed shipments 12 years ago in a dispute with Japan. China is the world's biggest producer of rare earths, a group of metals used in EVs and military equipment.

Analysts have described Monday's move as China's second, and so far the biggest, countermeasure in the long-running US-China tech fight, coming after it banned some key domestic industries from purchasing from U.S. memory chipmaker Micron (MU.O) in May.

On Wednesday, former Vice Commerce Minister Wei Jianguo told the China Daily newspaper that countries should brace for more should they continue to pressure China, describing the controls as a "well-thought-out heavy punch" and "just a start".

"If restrictions targeting China's high-technology sector continue then countermeasures will escalate," added Wei, who served as vice commerce minister in 2003-2008 and is now the vice chairman of state-backed think tank China Center for International Economic Exchanges.

The Global Times state media tabloid, in a separate editorial published late on Tuesday, said that it was a "practical way" of telling the U.S. and its allies that their efforts to curb China from procuring more advanced technology was a "miscalculation".

The Chinese commerce ministry did not respond to a request for further comment.

CURBS ON EXPORTS TO CHINA
Washington is considering new restrictions on the shipment of high-tech microchips to China, following a series of curbs over the past few years.

The United States and the Netherlands are also expected to further restrict sales of chipmaking equipment to China, part of efforts to prevent their technology from being used by China's military.

A day after China unveiled the curbs, Chinese President Xi Jinping repeated a call for "stable and smooth functioning of regional industrial and supply chains" in a virtual address to leaders attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, according to state media reports.

Shares in Chinese metals companies such as Yunnan Lincang Xinyuan Germanium Industry Co (002428.SZ) and Yunnan Chihong Zinc & Germanium Co (600497.SS) surged for a second session on Wednesday, with local media reporting that a rise in germanium prices would boost revenue growth for the firms.

Gallium at 99.99% purity in China was trading at 1,775 yuan a kg on Tuesday, unchanged day-on-day, but up 6% week-on-week and 4% year-on-year, respectively, Shanghai Metal Exchange Market data on Refinitiv Eikon showed. It was, however, 46% lower from the same period a year ago.

China's germanium ingot was priced at 9,150 yuan per kg on Tuesday, also flat on the day and on the week, Refinitiv data showed. It was down 4% month-on-month and up 4.6% year-on-year, respectively.

https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities...oms-2023-07-05/

 

[blackmondy]

Fuck China. Kenna fucked from all sides liao still wanna act cool.

 

[laksaboy]

By the way, are the Tiong 公安 operating in Sinkieland? Has anyone checked?

 

[mudhatter]

reminds me of these relevant older posts

https://www.sammyboy.com/threads/thailand-delays-724m-china-submarine-deal.291847/post-3251192


I've noticed whatever Stinkypura has 'mastered' somehow can be invented/mastered by Tiongkok in a jiffy.

For other areas, Tiongs take 'forever' moving at the snail like "China speed"


Examples:

Stinkypura
Stealth frigate/corvette/destroyers/surface warships - thanks to French tech transfer, stinkies learnt to manufacture and then design stealth frigate through Project Delta, that culminated in six stealth Formidable class frigates being operated by stinkypura navy today.

Subsequently stinky tech marine have displayed models of several stealth corvettes, frigates and destroyers/larger frigates. Recently, stealthy littoral mission vessels have been constructed too.

Tiongkok

Stealth frigates, destroyers and cruisers have been built with relative ease by Tiongs subsequently (but not before) in the form of Type 054A/B frigates, Type 052C/D destroyers and now Type 055 destroyers/cruisers.


Stinkypura

Has never built a submarine.



Tiongkok

We see Tiongs also struggle in churning out dozens and dozens of nuclear and diesel-electric powered submarines. Pakistan's eight Type 039 submarine orders have yet to be completed after umpteen years.

Tiong subs are noisy as hell.

At least one Tiong sub has also sunk. Creating a massive disaster along the way.




SMIC and Chartered announce alliance on 0.18-micron technology and capacity
21 Dec 2001

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Shanghai,China [2001-12-21]

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), China's first advanced open-IC foundry, and Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing (NASDAQ: CHRT and SGX-ST: Chartered), one of the world's top three silicon foundries, today announced they have entered into an alliance. Upon execution of the detailed agreements, SMIC will receive 0.18-micron baseline logic process technology transfer and be granted patent license rights from Chartered, as Chartered will receive an equity stake and access to capacity in SMIC. Financial terms were not disclosed.

"SMIC is very pleased to be partnering with Chartered, one of the top-tier foundries in the world," said Richard Chang, president and CEO of SMIC. "SMIC is committed to its technology development, and also jointly develops advanced technologies with our partners. Working with a proven technology leader like Chartered will enable us to move quickly along the learning curve. SMIC is well-positioned to complement leading-edge foundries like Chartered with additional, value-added capacity, and customers of both companies truly stand to benefit."



Chartered-SMIC deals could propel China as a premier foundry base

By Mark LaPedus 12.21.2001



SANTA CLARA, Calif. — China has taken a giant leap forward in becoming a premier silicon foundry base in Asia: the nation's fledging IC makers will finally break the 0.25-micron barrier by moving into the 0.18-micron era.
The shift towards 0.18-micron–and below–technologies among Chinese foundry concerns could one day pose a threat for providers in Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and elsewhere. And there are also signs that China will one day become the price leader in the silicon foundry arena as well.
China took a big step in upgrading its chip industry, when Singapore's Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Pte. Ltd. on Thursday said it will take an equity stake and license its 0.18-micron technology to silicon foundry startup Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) of China.
Under the terms, Chartered will transfer its 0.18-micron baseline logic process technology and grant patent license rights to SMIC, in exchange for an equity stake and access to capacity. SMIC will move its fabs into 0.18-micron production by the end of 2002 (see today’s story ).
The deal is huge for SMIC and China. For years, the U.S. government has prohibited China from importing semiconductor-processing equipment that would enable that nation's IC makers to develop devices below 0.25-micron.
Now, however, fab-equipment export laws will not pose a problem for SMIC, said Joseph Xie, senior director of marketing for the Shanghai-based company. “Technically, we know how to move to 0.18-micron technology, but it will take some time,” Xie said.
In a phone interview, Xie said SMIC can extend its current 0.25-micron tools down to 0.18-micron–and below. SMIC uses 248-nm scanners from ASML Holding N.V., which are capable of 0.18- and 0.15-micron feature sizes and below, sources said.
The exposure tools from ASML and others will help China reach an important milestone: After year's of making “trailing-edge” devices, domestic semiconductor vendors can now develop more advanced chips, according to analysts.
The shift towards more advanced chip processing in China could make it more attractive for foreign chip makers to outsource their IC production in China–at the expense of foundry providers in other Asian nations, according to analysts.
China has another key advantage over rival nations: Many foreign chip makers are looking to embrace Chinese foundries in order to get a foothold in the booming China IC market, according to analysts.
For example, the Chartered-SMIC deal will give Chartered a major foothold in the China market. It also gives SMIC the ability to produce 0.18-micron chips. At present, Shanghai-based SMIC is ramping its initial fab–an 8-inch, 0.25-micron plant.
This deal may also prompt other Chinese chip makers to gain access to 0.18-micron technology as well. This includes domestic foundry players like Shanghai Grace, Shanghai Hua Hong NEC, and others.
For example, Shanghai Hua Hong NEC–a joint foundry venture between Japan's NEC Corp. and China's Hua Hong–for some time has been developing 0.35-0.25-micron chip designs, based on NEC's process technology. The chip venture also uses Nikon Inc.'s deep-UV, 248-nm scanners, which are capable of 0.18-micron processes and below, according to sources.
As a result, the nation presents some new competition in the foundry market, especially for the startups in Korea, Malaysia and elsewhere, many of which are just ramping up their own 0.18-micron processes.
China, of course, is several steps behind the foundry giants in Taiwan and Singapore, which are scrambling to ramp up their new and leading-edge 0.13-micron process technologies.

Still, Chartered, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. and Taiwan's United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC) make the bulk of their profits in 0.18-micron wafer processing, analysts said.

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Only 19 years ago, filthy moronics Chinks from world's biggest country by population, kafir Commie stupid Jewish-ideology-brainwashed pork eating monkeys, the Tiongs had to gain tech transfer from teeny-weeny tiny dot Stinkypura.







Now Chartered sold oredi, been 11 years or so.

You see, Tiong monkeys have not yet mastered the latest gen of IC fabrication.

A good 19 years after teeny tiny red dot moronic stinky chinks had to transfer tech to the world's biggest country by population and a genuine commie shithole full of commie monkeys.




Stinkypura

Has never successfully designed and built a fighter aircraft from the ground up. The greatest achievement in this sector was upgrading, in a major way, bigly if you like, Yankee navy's old outdated Vietnam era relic A4 to A-4SU, stinkypura unique version. And TA-4SU, the training aircraft version.

Of coz, stinky slanty subhuman chinks could never have achieved this on their own like their fellow slanties like Japs Gooks or Taiwanese Fuckiens. All of those slanties had a generous dose of handholding assistance provided by their Yankee overlords for their respective fighter jet programmes in the form of F-2 fighter jets for Japs, Ching-kuo for Taiwanese Fuckiens and the likes of KF-X for Gooks today, and also TA-50 training aircrafts in the case of Gooks too. In the case of Stinkypura, the assistance was provided by Lockmart.





Tiongkok

No difference. Not a single Tiong flying/working/operational fighter aircraft has been designed and built from the ground up. Note: For this purpose, of comparison, we don't consider planes that are operational only within the PLA and nowhere else in the world, as operational. Commie propaganda and all. Only when an aircraft has been verified to be operational on foreign soil, in a foreign military, can we be assured of its crash records, its safety, performance envelope and actual lifetime endurance.


Most aircrafts were direct copies/imitations of Soviet airframes, with as recent iterations as the J11/J15/J16 copying Russkie Flankers.

Even their own 'indigenous' J-10 has not yet been exported anywhere around the world, yet, and of course, the airframe bears great resemblance to the Zionist initiated "Lavi" fighter aircraft project. This "Lavi" fighter aircraft itself bears a great resemblance to the very popular, cheap and mass produced single engine F-16 fighter jet save for the use of canards and intakes in the design of the Lavi prototype.



Stinkypura

Has yet to design develop and produce any aeroengine, whether low-bypass fighter jet engines, considered somewhat easier to develop and produce due to their less stringent requirements or high-bypass transport/passenger plane engines, considered somewhat more difficult to develop and produce due to their more stringent requirements for any domestic companies or institutes.

Mostly involved in MRO, developing and applying MRO techniques and manufacturing critical parts such as fan blades, turbine disks, vents, cold and hot parts, castings, exhausts, impellers, shrouds, valves, and others.


Tiongkok

True to expectations, Tiongs have yet to successfully design, develop and mass produce a single reliable aeroengine of any sort. Low bypass fighter jet engines or high bypass fighter jet engines. None. Not a single one.


Stinkypura

Supposedly, the only producer of PZN-PT single crystals is in Stinkypura. This is opposed to the more popular but less capable PMN-PT crystals.


Tiongkok

True to expectations, Tiongs have managed to rope in Stinky assistance and will probably start producing PZN-PT single crystals too.


Stinkypura

Developed and produced small arms ammunition towed and self propelled howitzer, IFV, AFV, APC and UGV. No problems there.

Tiongkok

Tiongs, too, have developed and produced small arms ammunition towed self propelled howitzer. IFV, AFV, APC, UGV, UAV have been developed. Also MLRS, ballistic missiles and air to air missiles, anti tank guided missiles. short and medium range surface to air missile.




There are just way too many 'coincidences' for these to be have happened merely due to chance, or randomness, if you like.

 

[mudhatter]

another old gem worth revisting


this reminds me to repost an earlier very relevant commentary on slanty genetic inferiority.

btw it has nothing to do with culture and this is precisely why I don't dread slanty chinks or tiongs or any other wuhan virus carrier ever surpassing caucasoids without caucasoids doing themselves in (i.e. own goal) due to their own stupidity or inner conflicts.


https://www.sammyboy.com/threads/si...he-semiconductor-industry.329394/post-3693834


I don't agree that chink, jap, gook or taiwanese have anything to be proud of. If you've got a big population, you do "big things", that's natural. None of them actually invented anything, they are all copycats, stinkypura you might argue is the worse among those lots.

You can start big companies to cater to your domestic market, just about everybody can do that and has proven they can do that.

I show you only three cases from three OIC countries.

Bangla

https://waltonbd.com/computer/laptop

Iran

https://snowa.ir/shop/washing-machine/

Turkey

https://www.beko.com/my-en

In fact, in 2001, it was Tiongs' largest microchip fabricator SMIC which received tech transfer from stinky coy chartered. but as expected from pap-piglets, their mismanagement ensured chartered went belly up.

still some bodoh stinky think chinks can run a country well.

Also, there is nothing to be proud of copying.
All slanties are copycats, they invented nothing.

not electricity, not electromagnetism, no euler, poincare, kolmogorov, gauss, newton no gravitation etc etc etc

slanties just copied.

I don't see anything to be proud of copying.

It's absurd for anybody to think or believe slanties are good at science tech engineering or maths. they can copy at best, and even there, they fail most of the time.

 

[mudhatter]

btw, world's largest EVER SSCV was constructed by stinkypura coy sembcorp.

at 273700 tonnes or thereabt, it's the world's largest SSCV ever.

EVER!

PER CAPITA, that'd be the highest figure in the world, and also in the history of the planet, BY FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!



how come pathetic countries like tiongs ceca virus wuhan virus or japs or gooks or taiwanese or turkey or vietnam or indon or CECA virus or brazil or russkies etc etc etc can't match stinkypura?

they only need to surpass stinkypura PER CAPITA.

which means if they've got 10 times as many people as stinkypura, they need to construct 10 times as large an SSCV.


those pathetic backward primitive incompetent lousy buggers.

it's astonishing that in a matter of merely 3 decades a tiny dot sized fake country (kicked out of Malaysia in 1965) was able to construct the largest SSCV ever, and the largest SSCV ever PER CAPITA (where no country comes close to matching stinkypura just fyi).

what's even more astonishing is that a talentless country with no history heritage scholars brains intellect or scenery was also able to complete complicated projects in such difficult sectors as microchips semiconductors electronics oil & gas equipment medical devices chemicals aerospace (incl engines and parts avionics landing gear etc) fighter aircraft (re)design (some 4 decades ago or so, when A4SU had to be redesigned by stinkypura to fit in a new engine) marine and offshore engineering and parts components design and supply for automotives too. basically an afv or tank is an automobile, if you can design and produce one, you can do the other too. so stinkypura hunter afv (or ifv) is good enough evidence of stinkypura automotive industry capability.

what is lacking is missiles - ballistic cruise anti ship anti tank air to air anti satellite and other types of missiles. where all stinkypura has done is just produce a few simple low tech foreign missiles under license e.g. anti ship anti tank anti air missiles

what is lacking is nuclear bombs where Ive been told preliminary designs have been drawn up in the past but stinkypura beeing a peesai dare not upset its ang moh kia masters and kwai kwai shelved this project for good reason. a good loyal obedient dog of the ang mohs is this fake statelet called stinkypura.

also lacking is space launch ability.



north korea trumps stinkypura with both space program, icbm and nuclear weapons, so do ceca, so do zionists, iran, pakistan russkies, tiongs, yanks, frogs eaters poms. etc

 

[mudhatter]

an old but timely reminder on stinky aerospace industry (some info might be outdated, doesn't matter)

3. Among the A*STAR innovations are:
A) Airframe
• Creating Deep Bonds - A fast curing technology for aerospace sealants and adhesives.
Existing sealants used to repair fuel leaks, install windshields and windows to seal out moisture in aircraft typically takes a few days to fully cure at normal room temperature. Short wave infrared (IR) radiation penetrates deeply into materials and ensures a more uniform curing through heating. IR radiation is currently used in devices such as heat scanners and sensors. The new and simple curing process, which does not compromise the integrity of the sealants, takes only one to two hours instead of seven days to complete. This means that it uses only 3-5% of the normal time taken by current aerospace industry curing processes, translating into increased productivity and operational efficiency, and could result in significant cost savings.

• Waves of Change – Modelling of electromagnetic interactions in an aircraft
The ever-increasing demand for communication, navigation, and entertainment leads to heavy adoption of high-speed electronic devices and wireless networks inside the airplane. While wireless communication removes the weight of connecting cables and reduces maintenance fees, it worsens the electromagnetic environment inside the aircraft. Because of this it has become increasingly important to simulate and analyse electromagnetic interactions inside the airplane’s closed environment for reliable aircraft operational functions. The A*STAR-developed advanced simulation technology accurately models the electromagnetic interactions in a closed environment.

B) Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul (MRO)
· Get in Shape Fast – Advanced metal forming technology of high performance materials
Conventional high performance materials such as chromoly steel, nickel-based alloy and titanium alloys are used for aerospace engine components. The fabrication cost of these materials is high as these tough materials are difficult to form into components of various complex shapes. A novel yet flexible forming technology is being developed to bend and form high-performance materials and thin-walled components of light-weight materials without secondary process, saving time and material cost by 14% and 40% respectively.

· Repair With A New Shine – Applications of Laser Aided Additive Manufacturing for Repair of Engine Components
Laser Aided Additive Manufacturing (LAAM) technology can be used to accurately repair damaged parts and directly manufacture nickel-base and titanium-base superalloy 3D components. These tough materials are difficult to repair due to cracking, oxidation and the need to maintain grain size and micro structure integrity. Due to the low heat input and high automation level, LAAM technology has shown its significant advantages over traditional repair processes such as Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding and thermal spraying. Traditional repair processes cause distortion and peel-off arising from low bonding strength. LAAM technology yields several productivity improvements. Manpower training takes only two weeks compared to a minimum of half a year before an operator is qualified and experienced for repair work. The deposition rate with localised heating also increases. Current TIG method requires four days to achieve consistent quality for a part compared to 20 minutes. Less material is removed, saving machining time. Current TIG cladding requires about 54% material removal compared to 20% for LAAM.

· Making Good Sense – Health monitoring and diagnosis
A contactless health and diagnostics check is used for detection of early corrosion surface cracks (including length, width and depth) of less than 1mm and defect detection in composite parts against disbond, de-lamination impact damage. With the rapid scan rates of 0.06m/min – 1.2m/min, non-visible surface cracks can be detected reliably and accurately, minimising potential downtime and improving operational efficiency. Unlike the current ultrasonic methods, this monitoring and diagnostic system is able to detect cracks under paint and thin non-conductive coatings. It does not require a medium to transmit signals into the materials under test.

C) Electronics and Communications
Solutions for flight circuit boards and robust memory system
· Hot Stuff – Integrated circuits for operation up to 300˚C
Many industries such as oil exploration, aerospace and automotive require electronic circuitry that operates at high temperatures.To address these upcoming needs, A*STAR’s Institute of Microelectronics (IME) Rugged Electronics Programme develops sensor interface electronics that can reliably measure various physical parameters at soaring temperatures of up to 300°C and at environmental pressure of up to 30Kpsi. IME researchers are exploiting the low leakage current feature of Silicon On Insulator-CMOS process to develop circuit devices aimed to work at temperature of 300°C. IME’s new approach will address the limitations of conventional Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (MOSFETs) to enable high resolution sensor interface circuits that can deliver critical data in harsh environments.

· No Fleeting Moments – Non-volatile memories for high performance, radiation hardened aerospace applications
Leading the way is the next-generation technology that uses non-volatile memories for on-board flight applications and sensor networks of structural health monitoring systems. Non-volatile memories aim to provide error-correction codes specially designed for memories exposed to high temperatures and high radiation emissions.This high-performance electronics applied to aircraft components allow condition-based repair and maintenance, instead of routine-based repair. Using such integrated damage monitoring systems can help to decrease the cost of repair and maintenance by up to 20%. To fully realise this advantage, memories needed for such application should have a large capacity, the ability to operate in high temperatures, low power consumption, and be resistant to radiation. Current memory devices based on conventional flash and Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) technologies tend to perform poorly. The non-volatile memories—Spin Transfer Torque Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory and Phase-Change Random Access Memory technologies are two core competencies that A*STAR’s Data Storage Institute has developed. More than 30 patents have been filed for this area.

· Connect on the Fly – Next Generation Cabin Communication Platform
In-flight entertainment and communication services are fast gaining importance for airline operators in their bid to attract customers by providing best possible services. However the size, weight, and power constraints of aircraft systems, coupled with rapid advancement in the multitude of communication and entertainment technologies mean that traditional methods of dedicated systems for each supported technology are no longer efficient. A customisable Software Defined Radio (SDR) enables the use of a common platform to be utilised across different aerospace communication systems, such as Global Systems for Mobile, Code Division Multiple Access, and Wireless Local Area Network present in the industry. As the number of users for different access technologies changes, it can intelligently reconfigure the resource distribution among different base access point functions, ensuring maximum number of users.

D) Aviation Logistics
· Find it, Move it, Use it – Automated Control and Self-Recovery System of Airfreight Terminal Operations
To build a world-class fully automated airfreight terminal, A*STAR SIMTech successfully completed an automated control and self-recovery system that executes and controls the transfer of containers across multiple material handling systems. The airfreight terminal contains over 80 different material handling systems which span over eight levels and was designed to handle 800,000 tons per annum. A solution that allowed for automated control and self-recovery system was developed. This system can execute and control the transfer of containers across multiple material handling systems, an on-line origin-to-destination route configuration, operating vehicles in four different modes (Auto, Semi-Auto, Manual and Maintenance), handling of containers of different containers, and transfer optimisation of equipment capable of handling two to six containers. Over more than 10 years of operations, this automated control system has been proven and its capabilities enhanced. The project clinched the 2003 Institution of Engineers Singapore (IES) Prestigious Engineering Award.

Details of all 15 technologies are appended in the Annex.



Category: Airframe

1. Hear What’s Going On
Sonic Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) technique for detecting defects in composite structures
With the increased use of composite materials in aircraft construction, the non-destructive inspection of adhesively-bonded structures is increasing for aircraft maintenance and repair. Defects encountered at the interfaces of adhesively-bonded joints, such as disbond and delamination, can impair the strength of the structure. Therefore, such structures are inspected non-destructively in production and maintenance before they are used in the aircraft. Ultrasonic testing technique is predominantly used for testing the defects. Even though the existing test equipment has benefited from advances in digital technology, it has yet to provide comprehensive evaluation for a wide range of defects. Also, in most cases, rather than indicating pass or fail, the defect severity in the structures needs to be assessed. Knowing the type, size and depth of defects will provide the important information in the mechanical strength and quality assessment of the composite materials.

A*STAR’s Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) has developed a sonic Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) technique that uses a frequency lower than half that of conventional ultrasonic techniques. Unlike the time-of-flight parameter used in traditional techniques for flaw detection, the material to be inspected is excited with certain waveform patterns and processes the excitation response in several ways to extract defect signatures. The key features are its capability to detect, learn and identify the structural defects such as disbond, delamination, and crushed core in the composite honeycomb structures. An additional feature of the system is the capability of scanning the inspection area to generate C-scan type of image with the defect type displayed. The system is tested on non-structural defects such as incipient heat damages composite laminates and water ingress in honeycomb core.

2. Creating Deep Bonds
Fast Curing Technology for Aerospace Sealants and Adhesives
The short curing time is a very important technical specification for adhesives and sealants. It can save the turnaround time for airplanes that need repairing and thus reduce the operation cost. This technology aims to develop a curing technology for sealants which is used to repair fuel leaks, install windshields and windows, and seal out moisture. Currently, it usually takes a few days for existing sealants to achieve a full cure at room temperature. Thus a curing technology is urgently required to significantly reduce the curing time that will improve productivity and pose any operational hazards.

Using short wave IR radiation, A*STAR’s Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) has developed this curing technology to provide a curing method without creating any significant performance hazards. At the same time, it substantially reduces the curing time from a few days to a few hours. With this novel technology, it can penetrate more deeply into materials and ensure a more uniform curing through heating than medium wave IR radiation which is absorbed mostly in the outer surface of the materials. The short wave IR curing technology can greatly reduce the curing time from 7 days to 1 - 2 hours without compromising their ultimate mechanical and thermal properties.
3. A Coat of Sponge
Nanoparticle Enhanced Erosion Resistant Coatings
Airplanes are exposed to severe external environmental stress while in-flight, which are caused by high kinetic energy particles such as rain and dust, impacting on the leading edge of the airfoil. Currently, polymeric coatings are widely used to protect the airfoil structure. However, these coatings have poor durability and usually exhibit erosion damage in the form of deep pits, cracks and holes. The introduction of coatings built primarily from composite components demands that its protective layers act as a robust barrier against such impacts, thereby minimising damage and onset of corrosion.

ASTAR’s Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences has developed a novel technology for making erosion resistant coatings. The coatings will combine functional nanoparticles with functional polymers or commercial paints to form a multi-phased network with homogeneously distributed discrete elastic phases in a coating layer matrix. The high erosion resistance stems from the ability of the novel composite network to efficiently absorb the impact energy from particles in flight conditions and thus reduce the probability of chain scission and cracking of the coating layer. In addition, the nanoparticles also enable the relaxation of internal stress generated from temperature fluctuations under rapidly changing environmental and weather conditions.

4. Waves of Change
Modelling of electromagnetic interactions in an aircraft
The ever-increasing demand for communication, navigation, and entertainment leads to a heavy adoption of high-speed electronic devices and wireless networks inside the airplane. The wireless communication inside the commercial aircraft shows a great advantage over the available wired communication. It removes the connecting-cables weight from the aircraft and reduces the corresponding maintenance fees, saving cost for companies. This, however, also makes electromagnetic environment inside the aircraft inevitably worse. It has become increasingly important to simulate and analyse electromagnetic interactions inside the airplane’s closed environment for reliable aircraft operational functions.
A*STAR’s Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC) has developed an advanced simulation technology to accurately model the electromagnetic interactions in a closed environment. The simulation technology makes full use of the structural features of the closed environment. It decomposes the original complex and large problem into several kinds of simple sub-problems. These sub-problems are solved by using different optimised approaches respectively, and then recombined by the equivalent sources defined on their interfaces. Therefore, it benefits in terms of accuracy and efficiency. Hence, the developed simulation technology can help engineers design and efficiently analyse the channel performance and quality. It also allows engineers to provide suggestions for the future wireless technologies selection (frequency band, output power, receiving sensitivity).

Category: Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul (MRO)

5. Too Small Not To Be Missed
Cost Effective Method to Repair Damaged Aero Engine
In today’s competitive airline market, maintenance of aero engine is an important economic consideration for operators. Extensive efforts have been directed to the development of innovative repair techniques, processes, and use of materials to increase the fraction of aero engine components that can be repaired. Nowadays, laser-assisted processes, such as laser melting deposition (LMD), laser surface alloying (LSA), laser-assisted mechanical micromachining (LAMM), are widely used in aero engine repairing. The common feature of these laser processes is to employ highly localised thermal softening of the material by continuous wave laser irradiation focused in front of a miniature cutting tool. However, since it is a heat-assisted process, it can induce a detrimental heat-affected zone (HAZ) in the part. Metallurgical changes such as micro-segregation, precipitation of secondary phases, presence of porosities, solidification cracking, grain growth, are frequently observed in the HAZ, which in turn lead to non-uniformity of microstructure and mechanical properties, and in some worst scenario, the failure of aero engine components. Obviously, for the same material used, the magnitude of the HAZ would be directly determined by the heat input during the laser processes. In this context, it is desirable to lower the processing temperature to reduce heat input and hence minimise the HAZ. In response to this need, A*STAR’s Institute of Materials Research and Engineering is focusing on nano-structured materials and application in aero engine laser repair.
6. Get in Shape Fast
Advanced metal forming technology of high performance materials for aerospace application
Some types of high performance materials such as chromoly steel, nickel-base alloy and titanium alloy are used for aerospace engine components. The fabrication cost of these materials is high because these are difficult-to-form materials. Therefore, the improvement in near-net-shape forming process of these materials is necessary to reduce the fabrication cost of aerospace components.

A*STAR’s Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology(SIMTech) has developed near-net-shape forming technology for thin walled components of light weight material and high performance materials by using advanced combined sheet and bulk forming process, optimising forming process design and die design rules.

7. Repair With a New Shine
Advanced metal forming technology of high performance materials for aerospace application
Nickel-base and Titanium-base superalloys are widely used for aero-engine components. The damaged parts need periodic repair or replacement to avoid loss of engine power, efficiency and breakdown. In most cases, repair is a more feasible solution than replacement. However, these kinds of materials are difficult to repair due to the issues of cracking, oxidation and maintenance of the grain size and micro-structure in the repaired region.
A*STAR’s SIMTech has developed a novel technology, Laser Aided Additive Manufacturing (LAAM) that can be used to accurately repair damaged parts and directly manufacture 3D components. Using low heat input and high automation level, this technology has shown significant advantages over traditional repair processes.

8. Making Good Sense
Health monitoring and diagnosis
A*STAR’s Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R) has developed a monitoring and diagnostics system that provides contactless detection of corrosion and the detection for defective parts in the aircraft. The early corrosion detection system can detect surface cracks (including length, width and depth) of less than 1mm. The defect detection system is capable of detecting disbond, delamination and impact damage in composites. With the rapid scan rates of 0.06m/min – 1.2m/min, non-visible surface cracks can be detected reliably accurately, minimising potential downtime.
In applying millimeter wave technology for both systems, there are number of advantages using such non-destructive testing (NDT) methods:
· The millimeter wave techniques are real-time, fast and contactless.
· Ability to detect cracks under paint coatings.
· Do not require a couplant to transmit the signal into the material under test (unlike ultrasonic methods).
· Millimeter wave is capable of penetrating most non-metallic materials.
· Millimeter wave systems are capable of producing robust inspections and can be manufactured for small, handheld and inexpensive devices.
· These systems use low microwave power (1-10mW)

Category: Electronics and Communications

9. Hot Stuff
SOI-CMOS Integrated Circuits for operation up to 300˚C
Many industries such as oil exploration, aerospace and automotive require electronic circuitry that operates at high temperatures.
To address these upcoming needs, A*STAR’s Institute of Microelectronics (IME) Rugged Electronics Programme develops sensor interface electronics that can reliably measure various physical parameters at soaring temperatures of up to 300°C and at environmental pressure of up to 30Kpsi.
IME researchers are exploiting the low leakage current feature of Silicon On Insulators-CMOS process to develop circuit devices aimed to work at temperature of 300°C. IME’s new approach will address the limitations of conventional Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors to enable high resolution sensor interface circuits that can deliver critical data in harsh environments.


10. No Fleeting Moments
Non-volatile memories for high performance, radiation hardened aerospace applications
On-board applications in aircraft have increased demand for high performance electronics for use in in-flight entertainment. Thus, there is more reliance on electronic driven systems, and extensive sensor networks of structural health monitoring (SHM) systems.
This high-performance electronics applied to some aircraft components allow for condition-based repair and maintenance. By utilising integrated damage monitoring systems this could decrease the cost of repair and maintenance by 20%. To fully realise this advantage, the memories needed for such applications should consist of these key properties: large memory capacity, ability to operate at high temperatures, low power consumption, and radiation resistant. But current memories devices, which are based on flash and Static Random Access Memory technologies, tend to perform poorly.
A*STAR’s Data Storage Institute (DSI) has developed the next generation of non-volatile memories – Spin Transfer Torque-Mangetoresistive RAM and Phase Change RAM. The technology will aim to achieve low power consumption, heat resistance to operate up to 200°C, radiation resistance for high‐altitude environment, demonstrate high operability and reliability and to provide feasibility of non-volatile memories, and to deliver fabrication techniques. Importantly, it aims to provide the error-correction-codes that are specially designed for memory that are exposed to high temperature and high radiation environments.
STT-MRAM and PCRAM technologies are two core competencies that DSI has developed, with more than 30 patents filed.

11. Too Tough to Stop
High reliability package for harsh environment
Aerospace control is vital and requires very high reliability. The current aerospace control system is using electrical signal instead of the bulky and heavy but robust hydraulic control. In order to meet the cost effective requirement, the aerospace industry has been switching to off-the-shelf component. These commercial electronics components however are not designed to meet the long term high reliability requirement beyond 150°C. Further beyond, this poses a formidable challenge to the selection and development of material for high-temperature environment.
To mitigate this problem, the package design is not only to integrate and provide interconnectivity for the electronic devices but also to provide mechanical and thermal protection from the harsh environment without compromising on performance. This requires electrical, thermal and mechanical design to meet the operating requirements.
A*STAR’s IME has looked to develop the electronic driver circuit package for the electrical power of the aircraft braking system. The focus is to develop high-performance packaging platform that can endure in harsh environments which includes inter-connection, metallisation and protective coating. This involves the selection of the appropriate material for the coating, die attach and metallisation to achieve the operating requirement. In addition, this includes the design of the process flow and assembly for the forming of the reliable interconnects for the package. The package is expected to use conventional industry packaging technologies and organic printed circuit board, which can help to achieve a cost effective solution.
The project will develop mechanical, thermal and electrical packaging design rule for multi-chip module package. It will also explore and evaluate electrical integrated passive circuit for the driver package.
12. Connect on the Fly
Next Generation Cabin Communication Platform
In-flight entertainment and communication services are fast gaining importance for airline operators in their bid to attract customers by providing best possible services. However the size, weight, and power constraints on aircraft systems, coupled with rapid advancement in and multitude of communication and entertainment technologies means traditional methods of dedicated systems for each supported technology are no longer efficient.
Autonomic systems (such as Software Defined/Cognitive Radios) that can adapt and reconfigure themselves provides an alternative that will provide best mix of services, without provisioning for worst case capacity of all supported technologies.
A*STAR’s Institute for Infocomm Research has developed single platform to handle different communication platforms such as Global Systems for Mobile, Code Division Multiple Access, and Wireless Local Area Network. .As the number of users for different access technologies changes, it can intelligently reconfigure the resource distribution among different base access point functions, ensuring maximum number of users.

Category: Aviation Logistics

13. Making the Right Call
Optimising decision making through utilising advance analytics
Making right decisions in a timely manner enable businesses to gain competitive advantage. Advanced analytics solutions equip business with a greater control over the timeliness of their operations. Moving beyond mere reporting of data metrics in classical analytics to predictive modelling in advanced analytics also gives businesses a head start over their competition.
With the advancement of information technology such as the digitisation of information, large amounts of data from various sources and in various formats are now accessible. Advanced analytics provides answers to the questions “how do we use it to advantage in achieving timeliness” and “how do we make further use of these data”
A*STAR’s Institute of High Performance Computing presents its technologies in data processing, monitoring and planning, analysis and prediction, with the optimised computational resource allocation to showcase the utility of advanced analytics to the aerospace industry. Through its data processing, information is gathered and analysed for buyers and suppliers to maximise efficiency and cost savings. Through its analytics, suppliers can have a visualised display of historical buying patterns to predict buying trends. Buyers can have an interactive cost savings calculator for planning and purchase plans.

14. Find it, Move it, Use it
Automated Control and Self-Recovery System of Airfreight Terminal Operations
To build a world class fully automated airfreight terminal, A*STAR’s SIMTech took up the challenge to develop an automated control and self recovery system that executes and controls the transfer of containers (Unit Load Devices (ULDs) & Bins) across multiple material handling systems. The airfreight terminal contains over 80 different material handling systems which span 8 stories and was designed to handle 800,000 tons per annum. Key requirements include on-line configuration of material handling system, on-line origin-to-destination route configuration, operating vehicles in 4 different modes (Auto, Semi-Auto, Manual and Maintenance), handling of containers of different containers, and transfer optimisation of equipment capable of handling 2 to 6 containers. A suite of methodologies and technologies were conceptualised, validated through simulations, developed, deployed and continuously enhanced for such a complex system. The project was awarded the Institution of Engineers Singapore Prestigious Engineering Award in 2003.
This automated control system has been proven and enhanced with more than 10 years of operations. The key technologies developed comprises:
1. Intelligent Routing Engine for Automated Material Handling System
2. Multi-Objective Multi-Transfer Optimisation for Material Handling Equipment
3. Maintenance Diagnostic System


15. Keeping Stock
Simulation-based spare parts planning and optimisation system
D-SIMLAB Technologies Pte Ltd is a Singapore-headquartered leading provider of high-performance, simulation-based business analytics and process optimisation solutions for asset-intensive industries. They are based on a distributed, grid-enabled simulation and optimisation platform that enables sustainable performance enhancement of complex, mission-critical processes that are subject to significant random effects and cannot be handled with sufficient fidelity by existing systems. A developed vertical with considerable traction is advanced optimisation of the USD16b ‘rotable’ (repairable) airline parts inventory.
The company has demonstrated traction and validation in the civil aviation domain. Two of the top four civil aviation manufacturers are present customers and discussions are ongoing to engage the remaining two as well. In the MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) vertical long term subscription and service agreements have been signed with major aerospace companies. Concurrently, the company has established a European subsidiary in Dresden, Germany and a US subsidiary in Silicon Valley. The company has also won a number of international awards validating its business and technological success.
D-SIMSPAIR enables an ongoing paradigm shift in the aviation industry of moving to component support contracts being awarded by airlines rather than maintaining ownership and management of spares in-house. The product has seen increased acceptance by multi-national customers. It aims to become the de-facto tool to design, analyse, and continuously re-optimise component support contracts in the aviation industry.
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20. A*STAR’s aerospace consortium has been at the core
of our aerospace research ecosystem over the past decade.
Through it, aerospace original equipment manufacturers, or
OEMs, and local enterprises have engaged in more than 120
aerospace research projects to date.
As of 17th of Jan, 2018

It's been almost 2 years since then. Completed projects only increased in number.

the Corp Lab projects developed more efficient and reliable energy delivery systems, and innovative manufacturing technologies to complement more robust power systems. The Corp Lab also looked into optimising production processes by extracting information from various equipment and workflows so that operators can make timely and informed decisions.

With safety and reliability being key concerns in the aerospace industry, the Corp Lab’s projects aimed at improving the design and development of repair technologies for next-generation repair engines, like Ultrafan. If you look at the aerospace industry and jet engines because human lives and safety criticality are in play. One has to ensure that there are no defects and parts should meet the highest standards. The Aero-Composites Repair project is aimed at developing novel, cost-effective repair methodologies to enhance the repair reliability and engine life cycle to reduce engine downtime

Other projects include the Modular Energy Storage System, which provides an electrical solution to air flight that is useful for lightweight hybrid electric aircrafts. Another project is the Virtual Engine Emulator which uses a special artificial intelligence (AI) system to develop large engines and turbines. Tapping into decades of engine design data, it quickly evaluates and identifies optimum solutions for future aircraft designs, thus significantly reducing design time. These are just some of the unique and innovative projects that are being pulled through to the company today.

These projects attest to the university’s drive in making sure that its research is translated into practical and impactful outcomes that are aimed at resolving societal problems, and improve conditions of living. The various successful projects were trialled and test-bedded right here on the NTU Smart Campus, where other advanced technologies are being developed in partnership with industry. These partnerships are crucial in fostering a research ecosystem that develops cutting-edge solutions which echoes NTU’s strong track record in translational research excellence.

Advancing into to Phase 2

After a successful Phase 1, the Corp Lab is now moving into Phase 2 with a joint funding of S$88 million over the next five years, and encompassing 29 new Industry 4.0 projects. These projects address five key thrusts, namely: Rolls-Royce Electrical (with a primary focus on developing industrial power electronics solutions), Manufacturing Technology, Advanced Repair and Materials, Data Analytics and Complex Systems, and Internet-of-Things.

Some of these will revolutionise air travel as we know it. For example, the Corp Lab will now look at developing innovative energy storage solutions to enable and enhance hybrid-electric flight engines. This will also reduce harmful emissions and reliance on fossil fuels in the aerospace industry by accelerating the adoption of clean energy systems.

The partnership will also leverage AI and Data Science to process large chunks of data that includes product quality, equipment ageing and degradation, and even environmental conditions. This data-driven approach will streamline and optimise production processes, ensuring aerospace parts and products are of the highest quality, consistency, and reliability.

Corporate labs and industry partnerships

These are just some of the cutting-edge research projects that the Corp Lab will work on, underlining NTU’s research focus in ensuring that everything we do remain industry relevant and impactful. The tripartite partnership is an example of a highly successful collaboration between academia, industry and government that translates world-class research into useful products, processes and systems. The projects will continue to be trialled and test-bedded right here on NTU’s Smart Campus, which is home to seven Corporate Labs each focussing on different areas of technological innovation.

For example, our HP-NTU Digital Manufacturing Corp Lab which we launched last fall that DPM officiated, focuses on digital manufacturing technologies, specifically in advancing 3D printing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, new materials and applications, and cybersecurity. The NTU-SMRT Smart Urban Rail Corp Lab aims to enhance the resiliency and reliability of urban rail systems as Singapore moves towards a car-lite future.

On built environment solutions, the NTU-Surbana Jurong Corp Lab is working on next-generation sustainable solutions to tackle industrial and complex urban challenges, such as underground storage systems and green building technologies. Leveraging on AI and Internet-of-Things, the projects at the Delta-NTU Corp Lab for Cyber-Physical Systems range from large infrastructure solutions such as water and power distribution to emerging consumer systems.