The National Research Foundation of Korea spotlighted "The power of ten years' group research leading gas turbine independence" CWNU (president Lee Ho-young) Mechatronics Components and Materials Fusion Research Center (ERC) is receiving a lot of attention as spotlighted on the webzine of the National Research Foundation of Korea.

 According to CWNU on January 28, 2020, the January 2020 issue of the National Research Foundation of Korea's Webzine published a feature article on CWNU Mechatronics Components and Materials Fusion Research Center (Director Lee Jae-hyun, Professor, School of Materials Science and Engineering) under the heading of ‘the power of ten years' group research leading gas turbine independence’ at 'Live Research Site'.

 According to the article, “CWNU Mechatronics Components and Materials Fusion Research Center was selected as an Engineering Research Center (ERC) in 2011 for a leading research center supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea.

 After 10 years of continuous group research and practical development of technology, it is adding new competitiveness to Changwon, a national manufacturing city. The Mechatronics Components and Materials Fusion Research Center, which has realized most of its goals during the first support period for 7 years, was selected for three years of additional support given only to outstanding centers that have achieved special results among the nation's ERCs.” The article also evaluated, “The two key areas of the CWNU Mechatronics Components and Materials Fusion Research Center are aviation and power generation, and the number of gas turbine engines used in aircraft's propulsion and power plants is about 40,000, which are called “flowers of manufacturing.” Among them, the high strength super heat-resistant material technology that can withstand high temperature and high pressure environment of more than 1500 degrees, and the development of complex shaped parts are the most important issues directly related to guaranteeing device life and safety.

After industry-academy-research including the government, large corporations, and small and medium-sized enterprises mobilized their wisdom and capacity together in Korea, they succeeded in developing the world's fifth generation gas turbine independent model last year. At the center was the activity of CWNU Mechatronics Components and Materials Fusion Research Center, which succeeded in optimizing the next-generation thermal shield coating process and developing the optimum blade design technology.

  It also added, “Korea's independent development of gas turbines is one of the most representative cases of overcoming Japan in the field of materials and components, and 14 large· small and medium sized enterprises including Doosan Heavy Industries Construction, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), and Hanwha Aerospace around the CWNU Mechatronics Components and Materials Fusion Research Center, national research institutes such as electrical research institutes, materials research institutes, and local governments have gathered together to demonstrate collective intelligence to build a manufacturing innovation platform for mechatronics materials and components.” On the other hand, the National Research Foundation of Korea’s Webzine said, “The CWNU Mechatronics Components and Materials Fusion Research Center, which is in the second year of the three-year ERC additional support project, further strengthened Korea's expertise in materials and parts for aviation and power generation that are difficult to find in Korea. As a representative specialized research center, it has a plan to secure sustainability. We hope that the commitment of those who have been silent for over 10 years like ttukbaegi (earthen pot), which rarely cools down, can be an engine that leads the leap of all the Korean industrial ecosystems beyond Changwon and Gyeongnam. In an article interview, the director of the CWNU Mechatronics Components and Materials Fusion Research Center Lee Jae-hyun said, “Our center is focusing on the localization of aviation and power generation materials and parts technology, which are the main industries of Changwon and Gyeongnam.

 At the same time, we are striving not only to cultivate high-quality human resources in related fields, but also to provide customized professional training for incumbents and job seekers in order to advance local specialized industries.” * Photo: Director of the CWNU Mechatronics Components and Materials Fusion Research Center Lee Jae-hyun (vide president of Research and Academic Affairs, Changwon National University, Left front) in the 2020 January issue of the National Research Foundation of Korea’s Webzine. Photo courtesy of National Research Foundation of Korean.