Singapore has been ahead of the curve in identifying and investing in Additive Manufacturing as it seeks to create high-end jobs and offer premium services. To make the most of this buoyant growth, Singapore announced plans in 2013 to invest S$500 million (US$359 million) in this space under a Future of Manufacturing scheme. This has been distributed across several initiatives over a span of five years, and the most significant roles has been played by the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC).
“NAMIC was set up to help accelerate and expand the Additive Manufacturing industry eco-system in Singapore towards value creation in the digital economy,” explains Dr Ho Chaw Sing, managing director of NAMIC and NTUitive, the innovation and enterprise arm of the Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
NAMIC is taking a well-rounded approach to foster the growth of the Additive Manufacturing in Singapore. It leverages the Additive Manufacturing application domain expertise from STEM universities and various research institutes and focuses on commercial and application specific outcomes. The Cluster also fosters collaborative partnerships with international and local companies to in application and translation research to achieve leadership position, creating an ecosystem for old and new business growth, and developing a platform for research and testing.
The NAMIC Summit 2019 with a focus on Design for AM (DfAM) was held from 6th to 10th May 2019 in various locations in Singapore. The anchor event, held on 7th May, was a unique experience for global 3D printing enthusiasts, experts, adopters, innovators and professionals alike. Over 20 world class speakers shared the latest trends in 3D printing innovations, design tools, workflow solutions as well as industrial adoption used-cases.
Other than the flagship conference on second day, there were two certification short courses, seven workshops, industry visits and startup innovation forum. The two certification short courses are: UL – NAMIC Fundamentals of AM Certification Course and TUV SUD – NAMIC AM Quality & Production Management 2-Day Course.
Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Koh Poh Koon who was the Guest of Honour for the Flagship event said that “in Asia-Pacific alone, it (additive manufacturing) is expected to grow to more than US$5.5 billion (S$7.5 billion) by 2025″.”Singapore is in a good position to adopt new technologies in 3D printing, to change, disrupt and innovate manufacturing processes for improved performance and cost advantages,” he added in his speech at the conference on Tuesday. He announced that Namic will publish a business directory of all the additive manufacturing companies in Singapore and the Asean region in October this year.
The conference had experts and key Additive Manufacturing Stakeholders including Siemens, Authentise, Autodesk, Ansys, TUV SUD, GE and others from across the globe share their perspective on the importance of Design for Additive Manufacturing which is an important pillar for the success of this technology. NAMIC is paving the way to Industrialise Additive Manufacturing in Singapore through their various initiatives including this 7th Edition of the NAMIC Summit which concluded successfully with 300 engaged delegates.
