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HP and NTU Singapore Partner to Open New Corporate 3D Printing Research Laboratory
Launch of the HP-NTU Digital Manufacturing Corporate Lab. L-R: Ng Tian Chong, President of HP Asia Pacific and Japan; HP CTO Shane Wall; HP CEO Dion Weisler; Minister for Finance and Chairman of the NRF Heng Swee Keat; NTU President Prof Subra Suresh; NRF CEO Prof Low Teck Seng; NTU Vice President (Research) Prof Lam Khin Yong; and NTU Provost and Vice President (Academic) Prof Ling San.
HP Inc. has a solid presence in Asia, with expansions in recent years into Japan and China. But it’s been in Singapore since 1970, and the country is home to its Asia Pacific & Japan Regional Headquarters, global supply chain control towers, and print manufacturing. Now, the company is partnering with Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) to open Singapore’s newest corporate research laboratory.
The HP-NTU Digital Manufacturing Corporate Lab, which is HP’s largest university research collaboration worldwide and first in Asia, is meant to help advance digital manufacturing and drive the economic development, innovation, skills, and technology necessary to advance the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
(Clockwise from bottom right) NTU Vice President (Research) Prof Lam Khin Yong and HP CTO Shane Wall signing the corporate lab partnership agreement, witnessed by HP CEO Dion Weisler; Minister for Finance and Chairman of the NRF Heng Swee Keat; NTU President Prof Subra Suresh; and NRF CEO Prof Low Teck Seng.
“The World Economic Forum estimates more than $100 trillion in value will be created by digital transformation across all industries in the next 10 years. HP is helping lead the development of the underlying technologies, like 3D printing, that will enable the benefits of this transformation,” said Dion Weisler, CEO and President, HP Inc. “Singapore is one of our key worldwide technology development and manufacturing centres in Print technology. The HP-NTU Digital Manufacturing Corporate Lab will significantly deepen our involvement here and serve as a nucleus for this ecosystem. We are proud to collaborate with NTU and we are looking forward to this becoming a blueprint for innovation, collaboration and economic progress.”
The $84 million lab is located at NTU and launched by Heng Swee Keat, Minister for Finance and Chairman of the National Research Foundation (NRF), which is a department within the Prime Minister’s Office. The NRF facilitates corporate labs setups through public-private partnerships, and its 13th lab, the HP-NTU Digital Manufacturing Corporate Lab, is the 7th located at NTU.
“Corporate laboratories are an integral part of our strategy to anchor joint R&D partnerships between our universities and companies in areas that have direct relevance to the growth of industries in Singapore,” said NRF CEO Professor Low Teck Seng. “The HP-NTU Digital Manufacturing Corporate Laboratory is significant to our long-term competitiveness in the advanced manufacturing sector, and ensures that we stay relevant in the Fourth Industrial Revolution that is evolving and growing rapidly world-wide. It will also strengthen our capabilities to support multinational companies for expansion from Singapore into the region.”
Senior leadership from NTU and HP paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, at the Istana, where they spoke about the new partnership between NTU and HP. L-R: NTU Vice President (Research) Prof Lam Khin Yong; Ng Tian Chong, President of HP Asia Pacific and Japan; HP CEO Dion Weisler; Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong; NTU President Prof Subra Suresh; HP CTO Shane Wall; and NTU Board of Trustee member Inderjit Singh. [Image: MCI]
The partnership between HP and NTU was signed today by HP’s CTO and Head of HP Labs Mr Shane Wall and NTU Vice President (Research) Professor Lam Khin Yong. Weisler, NTU President Professor Subra Suresh, and Guest-of-Honour Minister Keat. The 100 researchers and staff at the new lab will focus on digital manufacturing technologies, particularly 3D printing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and customization, machine learning, and new materials and applications.
According to Professor Suresh, NTU’s partnership with HP is “a significant milestone.”
“NTU has established deep capabilities and is a recognised leader in the areas of machine learning, data science and additive manufacturing,” said Professor Suresh. “These cutting-edge technologies are now an integral part of NTU’s education and research ecosystem, and the NTU Smart Campus serves as a test bed for them. This is aligned with Singapore’s vision of transforming into a Smart Nation.
“Together with HP Inc., a renowned innovator and leader in the tech industry, NTU seeks to address today’s fundamental challenges with solutions that will benefit both industry and society in Singapore and the world, such as developing automation that is capable of boosting manufacturing productivity.”
Minister Heng Swee Keat (center) looking at 3D printed automotive parts at the NTU-HP Digital Manufacturing Corporate Lab launch showcase.
The new lab, an important pillar of the university’s Smart Campus initiative, supports the country’s continuing drive toward industry transformation in 3D printing and digital manufacturing. The national strategy to develop a knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy and society, known as the Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2020 Plan, lists Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering as one of its four technology domains, and the corporate lab will build on HP’s strong manufacturing and research capabilities to keep driving Singapore’s innovation.
“One out of every three jobs worldwide, more than 30% of global GDP, and nearly one-third of carbon emissions are related to manufacturing. We are committed to innovating with purpose, not only driving the technology breakthroughs that improve HP’s business but also contribute to creating economic opportunity and improving people’s lives,” said Weisler.
Included in the collaboration between HP and NTU Singapore is the development of educational curriculum covering design for additive manufacturing, which will cover such areas as user experience, security, data management, and business models.
Once formally launched, the HP-NTU Digital Manufacturing Corporate Lab will prioritize 15 separate projects in order to gain a better understanding of AI and machine learning, so that the 3D printers in the lab can autonomously predict and fix any issues. The projects also seek to better understand cybersecurity, as a way to improve end-to-end point security infrastructure and malware mitigation, and new materials and applications, like 4D printed, shape-changing smart systems, advanced polymers for manufacturing, and bioprinting models for fabricating tissues.
Discuss this story and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.
[Images: NTU Singapore unless otherwise noted]
Industrial 3D Manufacturing is Here: HP’s New Head of 3D Printing for Asia-Pacific and Japan Details Multi Jet Fusion Global Expansion
Rob Mesaros
Earlier this week, HP Inc. announced its latest global move with the new Lanwan Intelligence – HP Multi Jet Fusion Technology Mass Manufacturing Center in Dali, Foshan in Guangdong Province. Opened through a partnership with Guangdong (Dali) 3D Printing Collaborative Innovation Platform, the new 3D printing center is home to 10 Jet Fusion 3D printing systems, housing HP technology exclusively. The center is targeting production-grade applications at scale for automotive, consumer goods, and other verticals.
As their technology continues to grow as leading industrial 3D printing offering, HP recognizes that business strategy is best propelled by a best-fit team — and with the company’s disruptive ambitions, that team represents a critical aspect of strategy. With Multi Jet Fusion 3D printing technology advancing with rising installations around the world, we have been keeping up with the team at the heart of the growth.
Rob Mesaros is HP’s new Head of 3D Printing for Asia-Pacific and Japan, building upon his strong foundation of experiences with both HP and that region of the world. He was on-site at this past weekend’s opening of the new 3D printing center, and has thoughtfully provided us exclusive insights into what this move means for HP.
Stephen Nigro, President of 3D Printing, HP (left) with Rob Mesaros, Head of 3D Printing for Asia-Pacific and Japan, at the new 3D printing center in China
I appreciated the opportunity to hear directly from Mesaros with his perspective into HP’s offerings and strategies.
You just assumed a new position at HP as Head of 3D Printing for Asia-Pacific and Japan. What do you think has prepared you for this role?
“For starters, I’m a 12-year veteran at HP. Of course 3D printing wasn’t yet part of the plan when I started, but it’s another extension of HP’s spirit of reinvention, market disruption, and making life better for everyone that goes back to the company’s founding days. Most recently, I headed HP’s business in Australia & New Zealand as the Managing Director, and I’ve also served in various other roles in Hong Kong and Singapore, so I’ve had a rarified view into Asia’s many industries and cultures. One thing I’ve gained from that experience is the ability to see how important Asia will be to the growth of 3D manufacturing worldwide, which is among the main reasons why I jumped at the opportunity.”
What is it about Asia-Pacific in particular that’s unique in the global manufacturing system?
“Well, it’s the largest manufacturing market in the world by a considerable margin. China alone represents nearly half of the $12 trillion global manufacturing industry, as well as the world’s 2nd largest economy, which continues to surge. By those merits alone, the manufacturing market for the region is primed for a digital transformation that has already occurred in other major industries like finance and communications, but China is also the world-leader in chemicals development and manufacturing, and strong partnerships with global materials leaders to is at the crux of HP’s 3D printing partner ecosystem. No one company can drive change of this magnitude alone, it’s going to take a truly global village.”
HP just launched the first large-scale 3D manufacturing facility in Asia with China’s Guangdong (Dali) 3D Printing Collaborative Innovation Platform. What makes HP’s Multi Jet Fusion the right 3D printing technology for this new type of 3D factory?
“What makes Multi Jet Fusion right for this center, or any large manufacturing facility, is that we’ve cracked the code for large-scale digital production with incredibly advanced 3D printing technology, lower production costs, greater speed and reliability, dramatically less waste, voxel-level design and production control, and a collaborative 3D partner ecosystem – all of which are driving a new world of previously-impossible applications that are transforming major industries. We’re particularly excited to be launching this 3D factory of the future with Guangdong (Dali) 3D Printing Collaborative Innovation Platform in the world’s largest manufacturing market.”
How does this installation showcase HP’s global commitment to 3D printing / what message does this send to the industry?
“The main message is that industrial 3D manufacturing is here. It’s no longer a wishful notion. Companies like Guangdong (Dali) 3D Printing Collaborative Innovation Platform are providing large-scale, end-to-end 3D manufacturing right now with growing frequency. We’re seeing both new and existing customers increasingly make additional volume orders of HP Jet Fusion printers, as many as 16 at a time, to enable industrial-scale 3D manufacturing to meet growing demand.”
How will China figure in to HP’s global plans?
“China is already a central part of our global growth. China’s ‘Made in China 2025’ plan will be a tipping point for 3D printing technology’s adoption in this region. We are excited about the opportunity to contribute to this national initiative, as we continue to help local manufacturers deliver cost-effective and production-grade parts to accelerate their innovations more quickly and effectively. Our goal is to continue to drive full-production 3D printing since we introduced Multi Jet Fusion in Greater China last June with global leaders like Sinopec Yanshan Petrochemical Company joining our collaborative 3D Open Materials Platform, as well as a host of new partner-driven 3D printing facilities and HP 3D Printing Reference and Experience Centers across Beijing, Taipei, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, and a growing number of other municipalities.”
What can we expect to hear come out of China with this center?
“We expect to see this center contribute greatly to the growth of industrial 3D manufacturing that’s been accelerating across China, and around the world. Specifically, we’re excited to watch the digital transformation of leading local industries in the Greater Bay Area of Southern China like automotive, consumer goods and motorcycles that will now be enabled by new, production-grade 3D applications at major scale.”
HP has not been playing its cards close to the vest in terms of broad ambition: the company means to use its 3D printing capabilities to disrupt the $12 trillion global manufacturing industry. With this goal in mind, HP has continued to pave its own way forward with Multi Jet Fusion 3D printing, including the full-color prototyping capabilities unveiled earlier this year and the promise of a metal system to come. Dedicated installation bases around the world, including the world’s major economies and manufacturing hubs, showcase the follow-through necessary for any great plan.
Multi Jet Fusion was announced only a few years ago, with its first installations in late 2016; with the speed of development possible through additive manufacturing and the swift progress of this new industrial technology suite, HP is proving to be both bullish and full-speed-ahead in fulfilling its ambitious intentions.
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[Images provided by HP Inc.]