King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) cooperates with New Thai Wheel Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (NTW) to strengthen aluminum research capabilities by adopting advanced thermodynamic calculation software.

New Thai Wheel Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (NTW) donated the advanced thermodynamic calculation software Pandat and its aluminum alloy database to KMUTT, greatly upgrading the university’s aluminum material research capacity. Valued at over 1.4 million Thai baht, the software will support research on lightweight alloys for the automotive industry.

The handover ceremony was held at KMUTT on January 21, 2025. President Suvit Saetia received the donation from Mr. Zheng Jinsong, General Manager of NTW. Senior faculty members including Associate Dean Montira Nopharat of the Department of Industry and Partnership, Associate Dean Chaowalit Limmaneevichitr for Student and Scholar Development and Head of the Lightweight Metal Research Group, Dean Somporn Piansukmanee of the Faculty of Production Engineering, and Phrompong Pandee also attended the event.

KMUTT and NTW have signed a cooperation agreement to jointly conduct research on lightweight metallic materials for automotive manufacturing, and this software donation forms part of their collaborative projects. Pandat software is globally renowned for phase diagram simulation and metallurgical performance analysis. Powered by sophisticated algorithms, it accurately predicts microstructural changes and material properties under diverse working conditions. This technology strongly supports KMUTT’s aluminum alloy research, especially the development of lightweight, high-strength, durable and safe aluminum automotive wheels.

With Pandat software, university researchers can gain deeper insights into material behaviors, optimize alloy compositions and processing parameters, shorten experimental cycles, cut research costs, minimize resource waste and improve analytical accuracy. In addition, KMUTT will integrate Pandat into undergraduate and postgraduate metallurgy courses to enrich students’ practical learning. The university believes that long-term cooperation with NTW will deliver substantial benefits to both academia and industry, driving technological innovation and sustainable development of Thailand’s automotive sector.