Additive Manufacturing or 3D Printing is the manufacturing process of the future - especially for objects with highly complex lightweight structures. The highly intricate internal 3D lattice structures, and structures that are force-flow optimised, can only be produced via additive manufacturing methods. This technique provides the maximum freedom of design, with the only limitation - at this time - that support structures may be necessary during the production process.
Numerous 3D Printing technologies have been developed in the recent years, the most important ones utilise ‘Selective Laser Melting’ for metal alloys, plastic, rubber or ceramic materials, ‘Stereolithography’ and ‘Digital Light Processing’ for liquid resins, as well as ‘Polyjet Modelling’ and ‘Fused Deposition Modelling’ for plastic and synthetic resins.
This course platform puts you right in the middle of this technological frontier, and by the process of Industrial Design - which is an integral part of the product development workflow involving digital concepts, simulation, prototyping, fabrication and manufacturing - students learn to create and innovate based on the requirements, properties, and advantages of this new technology.
Raising awareness for new challenges in industrial design by developing expertise in digital design tools and techniques
Understanding of manufacturing methods and material specification as design criteria
Utilising additive manufacturing technologies for rapid prototyping of design concepts
How does additive manufacturing influence or change the industrial design process
How does additive manufacturing compromise the design concept vs. final design
How to create cutting edge design objects by using additive manufacturing technology
Clear understanding of a 3D Computer Aided Industrial Design (CAID) methodology to create, simulate and fabricate design prototypes
Utilising new digital design tools and techniques, such as parametric modeling and digital fabrication
Creating unique computational design objects in a holistic approach: from concept to fabrication
Mathematical waves exist in everyday objects, from basket weaving, to chain fences, to textile patterns; essentially, they can be derived from manipulating the basic trigonometric formula:
[ sin(θ), cos(θ), z ]
Sine bowl was inspired by basket weaving, which is essentially formed from these waves. The process of weaving was abstracted to simple trigonometric equations in space, weaving curves that wrap around three dimensional surfaces.
The mathematically controlled weaving results in a vessel with an unexpected visual lightness, and a tactility that blurs the line between a handwoven textile and the digitally fabricated.
Clement Zheng
A collection of wrist accessories fabricated in polyamide via selective laser sintering. Fusilli’s form is derived from a series of periodic mathematical formulae. Geometry and material come together to create this curiously elastic object, while an algorithm and 3D printing offers customization.
The interface is supported by a Leap motion sensor. The device tracks the user’s hand movements within a physical space, and the algorithm converts them to define different design parameters. By exploring a physical space, one also explores Fusilli’s entire digital solution space.
Clement Zheng
3D printing lattice structures with a flexible material allows Halo to be a new type of protective head wear that is both lightweight and permeable. It is supported by an application that quickly generates files for printing using photogrammetry to ascertain necessary measurements.
Jolene Ng
MATR is a project to challenge the frontiers of 3D printing and designing from the unique constraints of additive manufacturing.
It is a collection of 4 objects printed concurrently, one within another, for mutual support to enable fantastical forms that cannot survive the usual printing process. The technique minimises costs and time of printing because the shapes nest, reducing the overall print height and the footprint of 4 objects into one. MATR was selected for exhibition as part of the Alchemist collection by Industry+ and also as part of the curated gallery for Rado's "Designing Lightness" by Li Edelkoort.
Donn Koh
When I applied for the school, I was not certain of my creative talent and if I would graduate as a Designer or stay an Engineer. The programme allowed me to experience design holistically and widened my boundaries to capture my niche. If I could say, I graduated as a thinker.
It was being an Engineer, a Business Developer and a Medical Designer. I wanted to learn more about the regulatory aspects of medical design, which MERCI excels. One of the projects was a Gastro Duodenal Sleeve design to fight diabetes and obesity.
I am working on quite a few projects, micro-needle drug delivery system being one of them. I am also pursuing my Masters of Science at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, focusing on 3D bio-printing applications.
Beyond hard skills and theory, DID bred in me a rigour for every step of the design process. This is something which I really value; it is easy to lose sight of the importance of a robust design process, especially in meeting a deadline, but the four years in DID really hammered in the importance of a holistic approach to design.
I am currently pursuing a Master’s of Science in Human-Computer Interaction at Georgia Institute of Technology.
I am currently working on a few different research projects right now. One of the projects is a shirt embedded with textile circuits for a child to learn and embody concepts about electricity and computing. In another project, I am working with a ceramic artist to explore means of embedding functional electronics in ceramic objects; reframing these hand-crafted objects in this era of mass consumption. Lastly, for my Master’s project, I am designing and evaluating interactive systems for digital fabrication that aims to bridge the gap between professional and amateur designers.
As part of our strategy to evolve constantly, a major component of the course is the Course Platforms.
It allows students to tailor their individual course of learning by selecting and participating in 2 concurrent design studios from a variety of 7 to 10 different design projects offered every semester —ranging from
The range of different topics reflect the ever-expanding role of an innovator and industrial designer; not only are students able to receive exposure to different areas of innovation, they also get the opportunity to learn different approaches to designing from the individual studio leaders and industry collaborators.
In addition, the vertical format of the design platforms encourages cross-learning of ideas, skills and methods while junior students work alongside and / or compete with senior students.
Students in a lower year will take up the role of a junior designer, whilst senior students will have the opportunity to assume the role of a senior innovator. This arrangement reflects the prevalent importance of group dynamics in industry practice, where design teams often comprise of junior designers, innovators and sometimes a creative director.
The platform program features real life innovation projects in collaboration with the following industry partner:
B.A.(ID)
The Bachelor of Arts in Industrial Design, B.A.(ID), is an undergraduate honours programme consisting of coursework driven by a synergistic three-pronged approach:
Design Thinking: Out-of-the-box innovation strategies and investigative methods to discover new ideas and unmet needs.
Multi-Disciplinary Aptitudes: Behavioural science, social economics, business strategy and engineering and technology knowledge help out graduates develop entrepreneurial strategic thinking and holistic problem-solving capabilities.
Artistic Sensibility: Training of imagination, taste, and crafts, to provide appropriate aesthetics and emotions to ideas so that solutions are both functional and desirable. The combined approaches equips our graduates with high-level strategic thinking, and enables them to translate problems and ideas to tangible, desirable solutions etc.
To broaden the students’ exposure, around two-thirds of each cohort goes for a one-semester overseas exchange programme during their 3rd year to distinguished design schools.
Our partner schools include:
University of New South Wales, Australia
University of Alberta, Canada
Duoc UC, Chile
Tsinghua University, China
Zhejiang University, China
Tongji University, China
Aalto University, Finland
ENSCI, France
ENSAD, France
International School of Design or ISD, France
Institut supérieur de design, France
Folkwang University of the Arts, Germany
Politechnico di Milano, Italy
Kyushu University, Japan
KIT, Japan
Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico
TU Delft, The Netherlands
TU Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Hangyang University, South Korea
Seoul National University, South Korea
KAIST, South Korea
ECAL, Switzerland
National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
University of Leeds, United Kingdom
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
Arizona State University, USA
Crafting User Experiences in Retail & Government Services is a specialization platform electable by students of the Division of Industrial Design (DID).
DID was founded in 1999 as Singapore’s first university-level course in Industrial Design. DID offers a highly selective degree course in Industrial Design. We teach a potent combination of design thinking and innovation methods, with a clever mix of artistic, humanistic, technological and business disciplines.
Our vision is to make life better through design; to equip students with trans-disciplinary skills and thinking processes required to find unmet needs, to solve complex problems involved in creating viable new products, experiences, interfaces and environments. Our graduates are enabled to take up highly valuable and versatile roles as creative designers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders of change.
Originally as part of the Department of Architecture, our programme has built a stellar track record and gained independence in just 11 years. We are ranked among the world’s top 30 University for the subject of Art and Design by QS World University Rankings by Subject 2016, and also ranked as the top university in Asia.
