3D-printed Rizal monument in DOST Compound unveiled Thursday, December 30, 2021. The 12.5-white statue is a marriage of the past and the present, of honoring the past and leveraging technology
By EDD K. USMAN | @edd1819 | @bluestar0910 SDN — Science and Digital News
(SDN) December 29, 2021 — What’s Php12.6 million, 12.5 feet tall, can withstand super-typhoon class winds of 330 kph and a massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake?
With that characteristics, it must be something. Really, really something!
No doubt about it being really, really something.
What else but a creation of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) through its high-tech Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMCen) under the Metals Industry Research and Development Center (DOST-MIRDC). It’s a creation, hopefully, for the ages.
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And the creation, a 3D rendition of a statue of the Great Plebeian, Filipino National Hero Dr. Jose Paterno Rizal, the pride of the province of Laguna. Needlessly without saying, of the entirety of the Philippine nation.
The Philippines science chief, , DOST Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña, an engineer by profession, was of the hope the 12.5-foot white behemoth would last, live longer till the 200th anniversary of the martyrdom of Rizal.
Fittingly, the DOST and the science community, along with the National Historical Commission (NHC) will unveil the statue on December 30, 2021, when the commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the National Hero’s martyrdom is observed, inside the DOST Compound along General Santos Avenue, Bicutan, Taguig City, Metro Manila.
Until it’s surpassed, the statue, two-years in the making, is — and will remain — the first and tallest 3D-printed monument of Rizal. It showcases AMCen’s use of 3D printing capability “and to display its capability in creating complex and big structures using additive manufacturing technology.”
The ASA-made statue project, made more durable by reinforced steel inside, highlights and promotes AMCen’s available high-end technology. And serves “as an icon of Rizal as a Filipino scientist.”
DOST’s initiative, in collaboration with the NHI, to create a 3D Rizal monument is also anchored on the S&T department desire “to pursue the development and innovation of additive manufacturing (AM) technology, production, processes, and materials in the country.”
DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development (R&D) Dr. Rowena Cristina A. Guevara had earlier described AMCen as “a DOST national facility equipped with advanced laboratory and prototyping three-dimensional (3D) printers for various applications.”
She pointed AMCen was aimed at making “an impact on the (i) fundamental understanding of Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies, (ii) utilization of indigenous and non-proprietary materials development for use in 3D AM systems and (iii) new process and applications for 3D AM technologies to complement or replace conventional manufacturing processes.”
Three years after Guevara’s prophetic words she uttered in December 2018, the DOST AMCen facilities has produced the 3D-printed statue of Rizal. The statue is a marriage of the past and the present, of honoring the past and of leveraging today’s technologies.
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Prof. Manuel Sicat of the University of the Philippines, College of Fine Arts (UP CFA), made the statue to “withstand winds of 330 kph and a 7.0 magnitude earthquake.” It is made of a material that’s known for its high-quality mechanical properties and that is known to resist strong impact and high temperature, including ultraviolet (UV).
Tomorrow, Thursday, de la Peña will lead the DOST and the country’s scientific community in the unveiling of the 3D-created statue at the DOST Compound.
The technology-borne project is DOST and MIRDC’s wants to encourage local enterprises to collaborate with the department in exploring and adopting AM technology for the enhancement of production processes geared toward the demands of the 4th Industrial Revolution.
AMCen is aiming to be the main hub for the development of the next generation of manufacturing engineering believed to revolutionize production processes of various industries through its capacities such as 3D Scanning, Printing, Modeling, and Design Optimization, Virtual Warehousing, and Remanufacturing with more diverse and improved design.
The unveiling of the monument will happen on 30 December 2021, following the celebration at the Rizal Monument, Rizal Park, Manila in a simple ceremony to honor the martyrdom of Dr. Jose P. Rizal and his works and contributions in the field of science.
He said after the unveiling the public is free to see the new Rizal Monument subject to certain rules and regulations, not the less the observance of at least the minimum health protocols to prevent the transmission and spread of the dreaded SARS-CoV-2, which drives the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic now running to its third year. (/)
“Let us enshrine the memories of Rizal. He contributed in many fields and in other aspects of life, which he did to respond to needs. So, we have to have these things remain in our hearts, a lesson for us,” said de la Peña. (✓)