A laser head deposits melted material layer by layer inside one of the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster’s metal additive manufacturing machines.3D-printed dentures and dental crowns manufactured by Star3D replicate the natural colours of teeth.3D-printed ceramic parts are placed into a furnace for the sintering process, which makes the product more compact.
AM should be used if and only if it makes sense for a particular product, he adds. Namic was set up in 2015 to work with universities to translate research into industrial solutions. The starting point for projects has not changed:"We need to define the needs of the end-users very clearly." Another example is aerospace turbine blades. Instead of being whittled down from a solid block, blades can have an internal lattice under a skin, making them much lighter and thus helping airlines reduce fuel use and carbon dioxide emissions."If you design this properly, it could even be stronger than the original part," adds Mr Oh, as the lattice structure can redistribute stresses across the blade.
A third attribute that lends itself to AM is customisation. The medical applications are clear: 3D printing allows for personalised products, from prosthetics and implants, to surgical guides that allow"test runs" or planning, to insoles and dental aligners. AM is part of the company's overall digital dentistry approach, including an intra-oral scanner that digitally scans teeth instead of taking a physical impression. In addition to selling its 3D printer and material, Star3D will provide AM as a service for small clinics that cannot afford to buy the system. The aim is to offer permanent crowns by the end of 2020, after certification is received. With China as its main market, high volumes will help keep costs down, says Mr Yuen.
Creatz3D's customers span sectors such as medical devices, semiconductors, defence, aerospace, and chemicals. Traditional ceramics manufacturing does not allow for complex designs, says Mr Looi."With AM, we can then give a lot of design freedom and challenge the norm." So five years ago, EOS's Europe headquarters started up consulting arm Additive Minds, which is now present in Singapore too.
Asked what is stopping Singapore's AM industry from flourishing, Namic's Dr Ho replies:"I'd say very little, except the fact that any product that you need to put into the field, you have to go through a due diligence process." "Over time, when becomes more mature and stable, then they will probably push out the less critical or non-confidential parts and outsource it to their subsidiaries around the world," he adds. But until then, Singapore will suffer from a lack of these major early-adopters.
He rattles off a list: skilled engineers and technicians; a good environment for intellectual property protection; high-class technology; and a context of government enablement. Today there are easily more than 100 companies in this space here, including equipment manufacturers, materials suppliers, service providers, and end-users:"The ecosystem has actually built up very rapidly."
For its part, Namic is pushing the industry towards adoption by working with regulators to embed AM into industry transformation maps, from construction to aviation. It also continues to act as a"concierge service", engaging the industry to discover how AM can provide solutions. In February, Creatz3D started a trial programme of loaning AM machines to customers for a few months, to"let them get a glimpse of how AM can help them", says Mr Looi.
Noting that HP has been having particular success in the service bureau space in China, he sees an opportunity for Singapore to position itself as a service bureau capability hub for South-east Asia. To HP, Singapore has long been important as a market in which to vest high-value IP and manufacturing. HP's own 3D printers are made here, with about 140-odd parts printed by the printers themselves.
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