In demand: Talents for Careers in 3D Printing and Advanced Manufacturing Technologies

By National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster ( NAMIC Singapore ), featuring

Mr Lim Wen Yong (Applications Engineer, SLM Solutions)

Mr Goh Wei Jiang (Craft Health Pte Ltd)

Mr Amit Nanavati (Bralco Advanced Materials Pte Ltd, Singapore)

Strong national support is creating new opportunities for deep-tech MNCs and local startups’ expansion in areas of Advanced Manufacturing and 3D Printing.

In this issue’s edition, we explore the interesting uses of manufacturing technologies, especially 3D printing by MNCs and local enterprises to spearhead innovative and enterprising ideas in the manufacturing sectors. Find out how this technology can be used by hobbyists, creatives, architects, industrial engineers, biologists, and other professionals in contributing to economic growth.?

SPOTLIGHT: AM Talents – Mr Lim Wen Yong (Mechanical Engineering, NTU Class of 2022)

Engineering Assistant >> Project Officer >> Application Engineer?

Passionate about Additive Manufacturing (AM) Technologies, Wen Yong started his tertiary education in Biomedical Engineering at Nanyang Polytechnic. During his semester project, he was assigned to design a tractable surgical scalpel. Other interesting projects by Wen Yong includes designing and developing a smart cane for National Museum Singapore, and a robotic e-guide dog for Guide Dog Singapore. Both projects were aimed to improve quality of life for the visually impaired.

Through hard work and perseverance, Wen Yong made it to the Director’s List in his final year Diploma in Biomedical Engineering and went on to obtain a Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering at NTU by juggling work and studies part-time. Over the course of his studies, Wen Yong started to specialise in design and fabrication of biomedical devices, and for his final year project at NTU, Wen Yong specialised in polymer AM applications.

Set out to deepen his practical training in Additive Manufacturing, Wen Yong took up internships at Becton Dickerson before his full-time roles as Engineering Assistant at NUH and Project Officer at Nanyang Polytechnic.?While at NYP, Wen Yong had the opportunity to explore mechanical design and prototypes development in various AM projects.

When SLM Solutions Singapore was expanding the Applications Engineering Team in metals printing, Wen Yong took up the opportunity to further develop his skills and experience in bridging the gaps from FDM polymer process to LPBF metal process.

CRAFT HEALTH PTE LTD?

Simplifying drug delivery and offering an end-to-end approach from R&D to manufacturing with 3D Printing

Craft Health is Singapore’s first and only enterprise that utilises 3D Printing technologies for pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals. Having developed the 3D Printing Platform for Pharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals, Craft Health envisions to combine the multiple active ingredients or APIs into a single polypill, each with its own distinct controlled release profile.?

By developing various platforms of specialised 3D printing techniques, this simplifies pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals applications. It includes the reduction of medicine intake frequency, personalised nutrition, decentralised clinical trials, personalised medicine, and 3D printing for orphan drugs.

Craft Health’s proprietary formulations of 3D printed pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals includes CraftTabs?, CraftBeads?, and CraftDelights?.

In view of their new plans, Craft Health has recently upgraded to their new location in Science Park 1 with latest state of the art 3D printers and laboratory facilities, in particular, a class 100k cleanroom.

BRALCO ADVANCED MATERIALS PTE LTD, SINGAPORE

Engineering functional materials on demand

Bralco Advanced Materials Pte Ltd, Singapore is a regional technology manufacturing enterprise with a strong focus on design, product development and manufacture of electromagnetic components using Additive Manufacturing Technologies and advanced materials.?

Using a combination of ceramic magnetic particles and polymers, Bralco’s R&D Team developed their own composite filaments as raw materials to further 3D print customised electromagnetic (EM) components in a wide variety of shapes and geometry (honey-comb, spikes, slabs). These components are used as Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) Absorbers in electronic devices.

EMI absorbers’ main role is to prevent the electronic devices from emanating EMI to other devices; protecting them from being affected by other electronics nearby, particularly when the devices are becoming more powerful and work at ultra-high frequencies.??

Typically, the absorbers working range falls in the range 1-40 GHz.

Use cases include radars, antennas, sensors, 5G telecom equipment, mobile devices, healthcare diagnostic equipment, etc, serving a wide range of industries such as space technology, aerospace, defence, medical, consumer electronics, electric / aviation vehicles (EV/AV) and many more.

In addition to Bralco’s in-house material development capabilities, Bralco’s industrial scale production is supported by their own characterisation and parts testing facilities.

These innovations brought a revolutionary suite of benefits to the consumers such as:

• Single point solution of total RF absorption for high frequency applications
• Lightweight and high strength carbon fiber composite materials with multifunctional properties
• Custom design and short processing time.
• Excellent shape conformity
• Low cost

In line with achieving sustainability and carbon net-zero goals, components produced using Additive Manufacturing process has an overall material wastage of below 1%, as versus 20% material wastage in a traditional composite manufacturing process.??

NAMIC’s e-job portal, AM Careers@SG??

First set up in 2021, AM Careers@SG e-job portal is Asia Pacific’s 1st dedicated Additive Manufacturing e-job platform to address the gaps in talent management and manpower building for the industry.

The portal regularly reaches out to industry experts via networking events, recruitment talks, and manpower management events. We hope to address the gaps and challenges of recruiters and talents in engaging and connecting our diverse talent pool with the AM industry.

Do check NAMIC's new openings here.