The morning of November 23rd started early for most of us as the 6:00am call

time was implimented. I came to UST late at around 6:20am. I thought everyone’s
already at bus and getting ready to go. But a lot of my batchmate’s still practicing the
“Filipino time” and I’m not the only one who arrived late. It was around 7:00am when
my block hopped into our bus and went off to our first destination: MIRDC.

It took an almost two-hour bus ride to get to the first destination and when we
thought we’re about to set foot on that place, we were told that the bus driver made a
mistake. The driver took us to ITDI, which is supposed to be our last stop. After another
10 minutes, we finally arrived to MIRDC.

Metals Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC) is an agency of the

DOST established in pursuant to Republic Act 4724 which aims to develop and expand
the metals industry of the Philippines. The Center was primarily tasked to work for close
rapport between the government and the industry in order to foster the advancement of
metals engineering, and allied industries in the country.1

MIRDC compound is spacious and buildings are well-built with advanced

equipments which you can tell that DOST is funding the facilities well. The tour started
with orientation at the Gold’s building Assembly hall. The orientation started with the
introduction of what is MIRDC, what do they do, what are the facilities etc. And then
proceeded to discussing the rules and regulations; we were told that taking of pictures is
allowed, strictly uphold a professional and behaved manner and more importantly, we
were asked not to touch any of the equipments or products in the laboratories.

There were three laboratories to visit inside the compound- Mechanical Workshop
I building where the Prototyping Division, Design Section & Product Development
Section is located, the Gold building where the Analysis and Testing Division is located.
Our group visited the Prototyping Division first where the lady, a mechanical engineer,
facilitated the tour. The facilitator introduced us the different ‘stations’ where a metal or
product undergoes. Starting with the planning and designing where the engineers are
using technology in computers (like AutoCad) to design a specific shape and dimensions
of a product. Followed by the different laboratories where the design is executed and
fabricated by different equipments. The equipments and machines are the main
“attractions” in the laboratory the overwhelms us. Especially when those are the
machines that we have read in the past lessons in this course. It was surreal and
overwhelming to see the process in real life. It is different from reading or seeing it in
pictures. The section that I remember the most is the laboratory
 where they double-check the dimensions of the product. . It made me realize how
important it is to make sure the quality of the product you are designing and/or
producing. Because small or minor difference in dimensions can result to major
problems.. The next building is where The next laboratory we visited is where they
literally destroy the products they make. This is where the different properties of metals
are tested. It made me realize the imnportance if Yield Stress, Young’s Modulus, Stress,
Strain etc.
http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php/Metals_Industry_Research_and_Developme
nt_Center