Frequently asked questions
Short, factual answers to the questions we are asked most often. Each service page carries the detail behind them.
About Novico
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Novico Engineering is a specialist engineering company in Malaysia. We work across acoustic engineering and consultancy, digital engineering (reverse engineering, 3D reconstruction, simulation and design). We also offer selected specialist technologies, including Soundmask sound masking systems and Robotics Cats AI wildfire detection.
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Novico is a specialist engineering company working across acoustic engineering and digital engineering, with two selected specialist technology offerings: Soundmask and Robotics Cats AI wildfire detection.
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NOVICO was formed in 1985 as a joint venture between KSM and Brüel & Kjær. In 1990 KSM acquired full ownership, and Novico Engineering subsequently began its next chapter as an independent specialist engineering business.
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Novico Engineering is part of KSM Group.
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Not all of them. Novico's historical work in measurement and instrumentation shaped how we approach engineering problems, but our current services are the ones described on this website. If you have a requirement outside them, ask us and we will tell you honestly whether we can help.
Acoustic engineering
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It is a structured measurement and assessment exercise. Selected spaces are tested against defined criteria — typically sound insulation between rooms, reverberation time and background noise level — and each space is evaluated against the target. The output is a set of findings with engineering recommendations.
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For field sound insulation we work to ISO 16283-1, and for reverberation time in ordinary rooms we work to ISO 3382-2. Other criteria, such as background noise levels, are assessed against the criterion agreed for the project.
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It depends on the number of spaces and the tests required. Access, occupancy and background noise conditions usually drive the schedule more than the measurement itself, so we agree a testing window with the site team in advance.
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For most insulation and reverberation measurements the space needs to be quiet and free of activity, because occupant noise affects the result. We plan testing outside working hours where necessary.
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A report setting out the method, measured results, comparison against the criteria, pass or fail evaluation where applicable, and engineering recommendations. Where verification is part of the scope, we re-measure after implementation.
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Yes, and it is usually cheaper. Reviewing partition build-ups, service penetrations and room finishes during design avoids remedial work later.
Sound masking & speech privacy
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An array of emitters distributed through the ceiling void produces an engineered background sound at a carefully tuned spectrum and level. Speech from adjacent areas becomes less intelligible because it no longer stands out against the background.
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No. Noise cancellation uses opposing sound waves to reduce a specific signal, usually close to the ear. Sound masking raises the ambient background level across a space so that distant speech is harder to understand.
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Open workspaces, offices, meeting rooms, confidential discussion rooms and counselling or consultation environments — anywhere distracting or overheard speech is the problem.
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A correctly commissioned system is designed to sit below the level at which occupants notice it as a distinct sound. If a system is audible as noise, it is not commissioned correctly.
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Not always. Masking addresses speech intelligibility and privacy. If the underlying issue is a poor partition, a flanking path or excessive reverberation, that has to be dealt with as well. We assess first, then recommend the right combination.
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Emitters and control equipment are installed to the designed layout, then the system is tuned zone by zone to the target spectrum and level, and verified by measurement.
Digital engineering
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Reverse engineering is the process of capturing an existing physical component and reconstructing it as engineering data — dimensions, geometry and a usable CAD model — when no original drawing or model exists.
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Ideally the physical part, plus any context you have: what it does, how it fits, the material, what failed and whether it must be identical or improved. Photographs and any partial drawings help.
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3D scanning captures the surface of a part as a dense point cloud, which is processed into a mesh. Scan-to-CAD is the engineering step that turns that mesh into a clean, parametric CAD model with proper features and dimensions.
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Native SolidWorks files plus neutral formats such as STEP, IGES and STL, and 2D drawings in PDF or DWG where required. Tell us the downstream use and we will match the deliverable to it.
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Yes. Once the geometry is digital, it can be modified — clearances, fixings, wall thickness, material change or a redesign of a feature that repeatedly fails.
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Yes. We can support prototype development and 3D printed reproduction as part of the engineering process, so a design can be checked physically before committing to fabrication.
Robotics Cats AI wildfire detection
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Wide-area cameras continuously observe a landscape. Computer vision models analyse the imagery for early smoke and fire signatures, and raise an alert with the camera view and location when a likely event is identified.
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No. Robotics Cats develops the detection technology. Novico offers it in Malaysia as a specialist technology, and handles the engineering, siting and deployment considerations around it.
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Plantations, forestry operations, large estates, remote infrastructure, utilities, large land holdings, industrial sites adjacent to vegetation, and relevant government or environmental organisations.
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The alert is delivered to the nominated responders with the associated camera imagery, so the event can be verified visually before a response is mobilised.
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The usual starting point is a pilot deployment on a defined area, so coverage, siting and alerting can be assessed against your own operational conditions.
Question not answered here?
Tell us what you are trying to achieve. We will tell you whether it is something we can measure, model or engineer — and how we would approach it.