Home Applications & Case Studies Singapore Reveals Plans to 3D Print Public Housing

Singapore Reveals Plans to 3D Print Public Housing

Singapore’s government and industry have invested $ 107.7 million into a research centre for 3D printing. Among other research done to find out how 3D printing can be used in Singpore, the centre will test if public housing can be built using additive manufacturing technology.

As Singapore is heavily relying on foreign workers for construction and has an ageing population, the government plans to reduce labour and increase productivity.

Professor Chua Chee Kai, Executive Director of the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing explains: “The idea is to print them maybe a unit at a time. So if you have a 10 storey building, you will probably do one storey at a time. These will be transported to the construction site where they will be stacked up like lego.” 

Currently, the centre is working with a company to test the idea, that will be presented to government agencies this year. The first prototype of the concrete 3D printer along with specially developed materials could then be tested in three years time, according to Professor Chua. Not all of the building parts will be 3D printed, however. The centre will review which parts could still be produced with conventional methods due to cost effectiveness. “The structural components are most likely to be 3D printed”, Chua adds.

Additionally, the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing will conduct research in the field of 3D printing spare parts for weapons as well as bones, tissue and organs for the healthcare sector.


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