Speech by MOS Alvin Tan at the NAMIC Global Additive Manufacturing Summit 2024

Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, Chairman, A*STAR

Dr Ho Chaw Sing, CEO, National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC)

Ladies and gentlemen,

Introduction

1. Time flies! It’s been one year since we were at NAMIC’s Global Additive Manufacturing Summit.

2. Last year, I spoke about how we continued to see a strong growth trend for our additive manufacturing sector, and I also encouraged companies to adopt additive manufacturing so that we can spur companies on their sustainability journeys, supply chain resilience, and take on innovation. 

3. Our sector continues to grow strongly. If you think about the global additive manufacturing market, it grew 11 per cent in 2023 and is projected to reach over S$53 billion by 2028. So, it is a growing sector, all of us are very optimistic about it.

4. But how then can we add to the additive manufacturing sector, and how can we grow our sector? We have an opportunity to further grow our additive manufacturing sector by:

a. Growing green

b. Growing with AI

c. Growing with partners

Growing Green

5. Our additive manufacturing sector is the perfect sector to grow green. 

a. Because of its precise nature, additive manufacturing uses less material and less energy, compared to traditional manufacturing. It is, in all sense of the word, on-demand. You can print your materials faster, and closer to where you need it and when you need it. It uses less material, less energy, and less transportation.

b. We can also use recycled and sustainable materials in our additive manufacturing process. There are companies like Continuum, a metal powder manufacturer thatrecycles metal into secondary raw materials locally and also sustainably.

6. This morning, we will witness a key milestone for Medairum, a 3D printing service provider. Medairum will launch its ISO13485-certified 3D printing facility for medical products and custom foot orthotics. This is an example of both efficient and sustainable manufacturing. 

a. Medairum’s printing facility enables local clinics and hospitals to treat their patients faster and more effectively without having to go overseas to source for these products. This is beneficial because it could reduce turnaround time from an average of two weeks to fivedays, and even within 24 hours for urgent cases.

b. This is a great example of how growing green can make a meaningful impact on the ground. 

Growing with AI

7. In addition to growing green, our additive manufacturing companies are also growing with AI.

a. Companies can use generative design algorithms to create efficient and geometrically complex designs. They can do so by optimising the shapes, factoring the strength, weight, and material that they need for a specific project. 

b. Companies can also use AI to analyse massive datasets of materials’ properties and behaviour so that they can recommend the best one in terms of strength, durability, and cost-efficiency. 

c. This can help them discover new material combinations faster, and combinations that optimise the use of recycled or sustainable materials, and this improves the performance and environmental sustainability of manufactured products. Again, very different from traditional manufacturing.

8. And we have a good example of this. A company that is doing this is software company Hyperganic, which is here with us today. Hyperganic specialises in designing complex and highly optimised geometries using algorithmic engineering. During tomorrow’s AI session, firms that have incorporated AI into their processes, like Hyperganic, will share insights to give all of us here, the delegates, a deeper understanding of how they are deploying the use of AI effectively and efficiently. And I hope their insights, and insights of others that have deployed AI, will encourage more companies to integrate AI into your additive manufacturing process.

Growing Partnerships

9. So to better grow green and to better grow with AI, I think we need to then grow partnerships.

10. Last year, I announced the launch of NAMIC’s Digital Design Innovation Centre (DDIC), which will be located within the Jurong Innovation District. This Centre will help companies kickstart their additive manufacturing journey. But today, please let me share four partnerships that are helping to grow our additive manufacturing sector:

a. First, there is additive manufacturing service provider, JSSB, who is partnering NAMIC to create an inventory of digital parts that will be fabricated here in Singapore. These parts will be used in the oil and gas sector, for end-users such as PETRONAS, to ensure the continued operability of their assets. NAMIC will also co-fund the development of additive manufacturing-ready digital parts. This will help our local SMEs overcome cost and knowledge barriers to adopt additive manufacturing and digital inventory solutions. So that’s the first partnership.

b. The second partnership is between the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and SkillsFutureSingapore (SSG). This is with regard to talent development. ASME and SSG will partner NAMIC to review the National Additive Manufacturing Jobs-Skill Accreditation Framework (NAAF). Within this framework, we will have AM courses that will be supported by SSG will be organised into different proficiency levels for specific additive manufacturing jobs. This framework will also guide the development of new courses to plug knowledge gaps. It is important for industry to help us identify these knowledge gaps so that we can then build that into the courses. For aspiring additive manufacturing professionals, this will ensure you receive holistic and recognised training that is aligned with industry needs. So we’re not doing it in isolation, but together with industry.

c. Third, manufacturer EngTek and NAMIC will set up a Technology Centre of Excellence in Singapore. The Centre will support the development of new additive manufacturing competencies and capabilities in the automotive, semiconductor and life sciences industries, empowering additive manufacturing professionals in the process. As part of EngTek’s re-domiciliation in Singapore, this partnership taps on EngTek’s expertise in die casting and precision machining, and also Singapore’s position as the region’s advanced manufacturing hub.

d. Finally, the fourth example of a good partnership, the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) and NAMIC have launched Phase 3 of the Maritime Additive Manufacturing Joint-Industry Programme (JIP). The JIP aims to encourage additive manufacturing for maritime applications, and Phase 3 of this programme will bring together consortiums comprising maritime and tech players, to advance the use of additive manufacturing in marine parts. This is important, because this will then in turn scale adoption onboard ships and harbour crafts and will enhance the resilience of the parts supply chain. It will also promote cradle-to-cradle manufacturing among local manufacturers, and also contribute to the development of greener vessels; in fact, we see a lot of these hybrid and green vessels being designed and developed in Singapore. The proposals submitted by interested consortia have shown great potential, and we look forward to announcing the successful consortiums in due course.

Conclusion

11. So ladies and gentlemen, thank you once again for turning up at the NAMIC Global Additive Manufacturing Summit. Thank you to the team behind the scenes for putting up this important initiative.

12. Let’s continue to grow our additive manufacturing sector together, by growing green, growing with AI, and growing partnerships together. 

13. Thank you.