Singapore - Global safety science organization Underwriters Laboratories (UL) will open a Global Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence in Singapore worth $8 million (in Singapore dollars).
Related: 3D printing center to open in Singapore starting in 1Q 2015
The new center, supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), will focus on advanced training, material and process validation programs, advisory services, and research to support both the local and global additive manufacturing industry. This project is driven by UL's vision that additive manufacturing will be the catalyst for global transformation in manufacturing. Through R&D collaborations with local research institutes and industry partners such as the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing and the Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre, UL aims to help create a vibrant additive manufacturing industry in Singapore and the region.
UL's Global Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence will address critical gaps in the industry through four key areas. First, it will provide advanced training curriculum to speed up adoption and readiness of a strong additive manufacturing workforce. Next, the center's validation programs will address addtive manufacturing material and process qualification. Third, the center's advisory services will provide best practices on additive manufacturing fast to production and part acceptance. Lastly, research will be conducted at the center to inform standards development.
Over the next several years, the facility's four technical service areas will support and expand Singapore's already well-established 3D printing infrastructure. The center is expected to employ 10 additive manufacturing technical experts.