3D Printing in Singapore

This weekend I attended a forum on 3D printing. It was part of the Singapore Mini Maker Faire - a weekend festival for traditional and techy craft things.

I first found out about 3D printing a few years ago when I read through a Korean friend's Graphic Design thesis (to check the English grammar). Since then, it has also popped up on my work radar, along with Raspberry Pi, Makey Makey and other fun things which see craft and tech converge. I also like the vibe of the Maker movement (which embraces these things). It seems to be global, creative, entrepreneurial - with participants from the super-brainy to those simply twiddling about at home trying things out. In a good way, breaking ground. Then sharing. Also, this is the last sort of thing I expected to exist in inside-the-box Singapore. But it does! With quite a few enthusiasts. :) In fact one of the SMEs leading in making 3D printers is Singaporean.

The forum took us through what 3D printing is, what types exist (FFF, SLS, DLP - which all print using different methods), kinds of printers - from the simple home Makerbot to big 'send your files and we'll do it for you' outfits like Shapeways (not a range of slimming foods, as I had previously thought!) Basically you can design your own stuff using computer programs, then get it printed - or you can 3D scan ('catch') and replicate stuff. Or, you can download existing opensource files and modify them before printing. There are even apps which apparently will allow you to catch and design using your iPhone.

MakerBot & items printed

Printing seems to mostly entail building up the 3D object by layering. Different materials can be used (I would guess depending on your printer) from plastic and metal to chocolate. Items can be printed in totality with moving parts intact. The plastic examples I saw were pretty crude and done on home printing machines. But as we all know, designs have been made to print guns or even rooms, with work progressing on functioning human organs for transplant. Architectural practices are making good use of the process to create scale models, and many industries are using it to create testable prototypes of objects prior to manufacture (also called Rapid Prototyping).

The object in the tub is on a turntable,
being captured frame by frame

MakerBot in process. it will take
about an hour to complete the object

A second speaker took us through the pros and cons of home printing. Another - the manufacturer - took us through more technical and financial aspects. This was followed by discussion with the audience on issues such as regulation, education, IP, waste / recycling. Nearly all interesting stuff for me.

The Maker Faire itself was a bit mixed. It was really busy family-time when I got down there, so it was difficult to talk and find out more about other things that interested me, like arduino. I think the trick is to go early. There were a few predictable stalls, but I did get to see some 3D catch and printing in process. And chatted to a guy who runs groups which focus on making of all kinds - which I will definitely keep in touch with.

Here are some SG links:
www.funbiestudios.com (printing house)
www.romscraj.com (hardware)
www.sourcemake.com (facilitator)
http://makerfairesingapore.com/