According to Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science (LKC FES) academic Ir Dr Tey Jing Yuen, as the world progresses towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0), additive manufacturing (AM) such as 3D printing had become a centrepiece for many industries. The estimated Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of AM from 2021 to 2026 is approximately equal to 20%. “In this day and age, the adoption of industrial-grade AM in Malaysia and ASEAN is still low owing to several reasons such as heavy reliance on imported technology; high operational and maintenance cost; affordability issue; finite feedstock materials availability, and shortfall of skillset for additive manufacturing (DfAM) design. As a result, the progress of IR4.0 in Malaysia has been severely hindered. Many Malaysian industries struggle to compete with advanced countries in high-value-adding engineering and manufacturing involving AM,” said Dr Tey

In addressing this matter, Dr Tey and his team came up with a research project titled “Development and deployment of a cost-effective and versatile industrial metal 3D printing system” which secured him a government grant worth RM2,371,400. The grant was given by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Malaysia (MOSTI) under the technology development fund 2 (TeD 2).

According to Dr Tey, the research project aimed to develop and deploy a cost-effective and versatile industrial metal 3D printing system. He said, “The system will be IoT-enabled for online monitoring and control. It is designed to be simple and reasonably priced. It is capable of delivering the functional performances required for industrial-grade metal parts.”

He added, “Compared with the nearest rivalling technology, the cost saving is expected to be more than 50%, making the industrial metal 3D printing system a truly economical metal AM solution for the mass industries in Malaysia and across ASEAN. As a result, this system will enhance Malaysia’s competitiveness in advanced engineering and manufacturing.”