Testing machine could cut imports
To reduce the import of machines from overseas, the Science Ministry with the Thai-German Institute and the Thai Machinery Association have been developing a vehicle-testing device to check private vehicles at centres nationwide.
Science Minister Pravich Rattanapian said the ministry and its partners spent a couple months developing the machine prototype called Siamation, with the aim of reducing machine imports. The prototype, he said, would be developed for commercial use as the next step. According to Pravich, the locally made machine will be worth around Bt400,000, around a 50-per-cent cost saving when compared to imported machines. He added that local developers had created the machine under reverse engineering technology to take advantage of local development skills and local technology transfer. The machine is based on a high-speed microprocessor and is being produced to industrial-grade standards. It supports a load capacity of between 500 and 3,000 kg for three-minute testing. Narong Sakulsirirat, secretary of the Thai Machinery Association, said the locally made machine would help the 1,700 private vehicle check-up centres nationwide and hence save the costs of imported machinery. It is also hoped that the locally made machine could be exported for sale in other countries in the future.
Jirapan Boonnoon The Nation
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