UKZN launches advanced manufacturing facility to enhance aerospace innovation

UKZN launches advanced manufacturing facility to enhance aerospace innovation The future of aerospace engineering in South Africa made significant progress this week with the grand opening of the advanced manufacturing facility, along with the new headquarters of the Aerospace Systems Research Institute (ASRI) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). Unveiled by Director-General of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), Dr Mlungisi Cele, on Tuesday, the state-of-the-art hub is a strategic step towards ensuring the global competitiveness of the country’s innovation system. Cele highlighted the value of strategic government, higher education and industry alliances to achieve national priorities. He emphasised that the ASRI and advanced manufacturing initiatives strengthened the link between research excellence and industrial application – a cornerstone of the department’s vision for a more innovative, inclusive and sustainable economy. “Our economy urgently needs a new generation of skilled engineers, scientists and innovators who can drive productivity, competitiveness and inclusive growth. Facilities like this one play a crucial role in meeting that need. They provide students with hands-on experience using cutting-edge technologies while fostering the creativity and problem-solving skills that are vital for our nation’s future,” he said. He identified additive manufacturing, robotics and advanced materials as important areas for capacity development. Cele added that the DSTI’s Science, Technology and Innovation Decadal Plan stressed the need to promote localisation and technology-driven manufacturing, and to equip the youth with the skills and opportunities needed for the fourth industrial revolution. ASRI, which was originally founded in 2009 as the Aerospace Systems Research Group, became an official institute within the School of Engineering at the UKZN in 2022. Its mission is to establish itself as a global centre of excellence in aerospace propulsion research and development. ASRI aims to support South Africa’s space engineering economy and to cultivate skilled human capital in aerospace propulsion engineering. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science at UKZN, Professor Fhatuwani Mudau, expressed gratitude to the DSTI for their trust in the university. He assured that the investment would be utilised to transform the university into a catalyst for change, positioning ASRI as a model and leader in advancing science and building capacity within the country. Mudau stated that he was excited by the national recognition that UKZN had earned through ASRI’s rocket science. He encouraged the young engineers working at ASRI and the advanced manufacturing facility to use the opportunity fully. Professor of Aerospace Engineering at UKZN, Glen Snedden, said the new office infrastructure and manufacturing capability represented a visible commitment to the programme, which was both enabling and motivating for the engineers and students. ASRI also offers postgraduate study opportunities to promising students from around the country and is currently working with graduates from Stellenbosch University, the Universities of Pretoria and the Witwatersrand, as well as UKZN. Snedden said the next step would be to move to a newly developed facility on a vacant piece of university land. “This would see the development of a local test capability for the static firing of our motors, and, with further development, we envisage the co-development of a production facility, offices, lecture theatres and an outreach centre, all built around the idea of aerospace studies and research. If all goes well, we will be launching a suborbital rocket into space within five years and progressing to orbital launches within 10 years,“ he concluded. The new ASRI offices feature, among other things, a boardroom with teleconferencing capabilities, a meeting room for smaller gatherings and an advanced computing facility for simulation work. – SAnews.gov.za
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