An opening ceremony for the new ASEAN TSC established in Thailand was held on November 7 (Friday) at the National Metal and Materials Technology Center (MTEC).
The ceremony was held with a total of 60 people including representatives from the community, local Japanese companies, and the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) who were invited. In addition to the ceremony, other events on that day included a tour of the laboratory facility.

*The ASEAN TSC is contained within the MTEC building.

Opening Ceremony

In conjunction with the opening ceremony, prayers were offered at the Spirit House (San Phra Phum) at the entrance to the MTEC building in celebration of the opening of the new ASEAN TSC and in the wish for its future growth.
Fruits and flowers were arranged as decoration, incense sticks were lit, and finally everyone adorned the Spirit House with the yellow flower wreaths they held during the prayers.
In Thailand, Spirit Houses are built at the entrance of companies and buildings for people to offer prayers when events are held.

Introduction to ASEAN TSC

Work done at the new ASEAN TSC can be broadly divided into six categories: injection molding technical support, mold design technical support, fractural analysis (SEM), material analysis (MI, FT-IR, DSC), technical inquiry support, and technical seminar support.
To perform this work, four types of analysis equipment, described below, have been installed.

ASEAN TSC Laboratory Equipment

MI (melt indexer)
A melt indexer measures the melt flow rate of a sample. It is used to evaluate the ability of a material's melt to flow under pressure and to check deterioration.

FT-IR (Fourier transform spectrometer)
A Fourier transform spectrometer works by exposing a sample to infrared rays to produce spectral patterns characteristic of various substances, enabling identification of the substances contained in a material. It is used to analyze material quality and to identify foreign substances.

DSC (differential scanning calorimeter)
A differential scanning calorimeter measures thermal transitions in a sample due to release and absorption of heat (exothermic and endothermic reactions). It is used to determine measurements such as melting points and crystallization temperatures.

SEM (scanning electron microscope)
A sample is exposed to finely focused beam of electrons that knock loose secondary electrons from the spot on the sample where they are focused, to enable observation of a highly magnified image of the surface sample. It is used for fracture surface analysis and to observe the surface of molded products.

Comment by Katsumasa Miwa, Department Manager (Technical Solution Department)
Thanks to everyone's cooperation and support, we were able to conduct a wonderful opening ceremony. I think we were successful in communicating the company's business concepts and endeavors to everyone who attended. In the days ahead, we will be working to promote even better communication and to be a TSC that is needed by our customers and sales personnel in ASEAN. Polyplastics in Japan and its group companies overseas will need to form even closer relationships. I hope you will give us your continued support and cooperation.

PMT Topics also reports on the opening ceremony for the ASEAN TSC. Have a look!