Once again, we joined business people and researchers from around the world in Singapore for Global Additive Manufacturing Summit. Singapore’s national 3D printing partner, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC), hosts this annual conference to bring together participants from across the region and beyond for two days. As always, the event is extremely well organized. After speaking with many attendees, we observed a wide variety of people from different backgrounds. There are few tourists or casual visitors here; instead, you find petroleum professionals working to create critical spare parts, aviation experts looking to reduce MRO costs, and researchers in additive manufacturing engaging with optics specialists seeking to implement additive for optically transparent parts.

The event was opened by Dr. Chaw Sing Ho, Chairman of NAMIC. He spoke about the importance of 3D printing for a resource-constrained country like Singapore. He welcomed industry partners, speakers, and guests, and emphasized the significance of doing more with fewer materials. Dr. Ho highlighted the need for greater efficiency globally, while also stressing that countries and companies must focus on strengthening their supply chain resilience.

Next up was Minister of State Alvin Tan. He spoke about the need to “grow it green, grow it with AI, and grow it with partnerships.” To him, 3D printing is the ideal sector for achieving green growth by combining innovation with sustainability. He also encouraged companies to integrate AI with 3D printing, noting that AI could help discover geometrically complex designs, identify suitable materials, reduce weight, and analyze material properties effectively.

Next, there was a signing ceremony for an ISO 13485-certified 3D printing facility dedicated to medical products and orthotics. Medairum, a Singapore-based company, specializes in producing clear aligners, surgical guides, dental splints, and patient-specific models. To date, the firm has printed over 4 million parts. Notably, Medairum primarily uses Formlabs equipment, supplemented by Bambu Lab printers. The Formlabs SLA printers and resins are particularly advantageous for dental applications, given the company’s experience in this field. Bambu printers are employed to produce parts for orthotics, some of which incorporate both powder bed and material extrusion components. While a few companies are building businesses around low-cost or professional-grade printers, it is relatively uncommon in the medical field. This, I believe, is a sign of the disruptive innovation some players are bringing to the market.

Following that, there was a signing ceremony between Eng Teknologi International, PrimeMovers Equity, and NAMIC. Eng Teknologi, a die casting firm, is set to develop 3D printing capabilities. Die casting and 3D printing are rapidly growing sectors, and it is strategic for Singapore to focus on advancing this process domestically. Additionally, ASME signed an MOU to expand its efforts in the region, with Singapore as its base.

Chee Teck Lee of Moveon delivered the keynote. His firm produces a line of small optical components using traditional methods, but now he aims to 3D print ophthalmic lenses. Luxexcel, which used to offer this capability, was acquired by Meta. It is believed that Meta will use Luxexcel’s technology to make it easier for people with prescription glasses to use AR and VR headsets. Currently, users must wear glasses under the headset, but Luxexcel could solve this by integrating prescription lenses directly into AR and VR devices. With Luxexcel off the market, Moveon hopes to fill the gap. The company appears close to producing 3D-printed lenses, which would be a significant step forward for the industry and open up a potentially large market alongside Meta.

Chee also demonstrated how Moveon’s inkjet-based technology uses AI to monitor quality by detecting missed inkjet drops. Additionally, he showcased a 3D-printed glare mitigation panel, highlighting the firm’s innovations.

After this, I moderated a panel featuring AM Ventures’ Arno Held, Behrang Poorganji, CTO of Nikon AM Synergy, Chee Teck Lee of Moveon, and Kitty Wang of 3D Science Valley. We discussed business strategy and additive manufacturing. One topic was whether it’s beneficial for startups to have a Plan B. All of us, except Chee Teck Lee, felt that it wasn’t a good idea. Chee argued that, in the military, you always need a contingency plan. Arno and I emphasized the importance of application-focused startups, while Kitty believed Chinese companies would scale by lowering costs in industries like automotive. We all agreed that focus is crucial, and Behrang stressed the importance of knowing who you are and having a clear vision of where you want to go.

All in all, it was a great start to the event and an inspiring morning. I truly hope everyone enjoyed the discussions, and I’m eager to see what topics we’ll explore in future sessions.