Singapore boosts 3D printing capabilities with new cluster

Singapore has unveiled a new cluster that will boost the country's nascent 3D printing ecosystem at the recently concluded TechInnovation, a technology-industry brokerage event organised by the Intellectual Property Intermediary.

The National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC) seeks to harness, strengthen and expand on Singapore's existing additive manufacturing capabilities as an integrated hub and position the country as a world leader in this technology. The Nanyang Technological University (NTU), in partnership with the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), will lead the cluster.

The manufacturing sector accounts for about 18 per cent of Singapore's gross domestic product (GDP), and with continuous technology upgrades and restructuring, the sector will continue to be a key driver in the country's economic growth.

NAMIC will be a catalyst for innovation by integrating research expertise and working with key partners to enhance the products, processes and services for the manufacturing sector in Singapore. The cluster will also translate research knowledge into commercial applications for the industry. It will establish a joint fund to support these translational projects between research institutes and the industry members.

Research facilities among the three initial partners at NTU, NUS and SUTD will be made available across the cluster network. This cluster is also open to research performers from other public research institutes as well as institutes of higher learning.

In addition to offering expertise and research facilities at NTU, NUS and SUTD for translational projects, it will also help companies with the commercialisation of intellectual property, including access to incubators for start-ups and spin-offs. Companies in Singapore can also tap on the resources and expertise of this new cluster, to accelerate the adoption of 3D printing technology into their businesses.

NTU will head NAMIC through its innovation and enterprise arm NTUitive. The new cluster will comprise of three additive manufacturing translation and capability development research centres. They are NTU's Singapore Centre for 3D Printing, NUS's 3D Printing initiative for medical technologies and SUTD's Digital Manufacturing and Design Centre.

"The new cluster will translate the knowledge and intellectual property developed at centres, like NTU's Singapore Centre for 3D Printing, into commercial innovations for the industry," said Professor Lam Khin Yong, NTU's chief of staff and vice president (Research). "This is a key national initiative that brings together all the local research institutes to jointly advance the field of additive manufacturing and promote its adoption in our local enterprises."

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