City Pioneers Series: 3D Food Printing - The Next Frontier of Additive Manufacturing

08 Jul 2022 9.30AM Webinar

Brought to you by: Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities (LKYCIC)

3D Food Printing: The Next Frontier of Additive Manufacturing

Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology has been utilised across various fields such as environmental fields, medical systems, and military materials. Recently, the 3D food printing global market has shown a high annual growth rate and its market size is expected to reach USD 1 billion by 2027. Key factors driving this industry growth include rising demand for customised food products and increasing adoption in various end-use industries. Users can apply 3D food printing technology in various food ranges based on the advantages of designing existing food to suit one’s taste and purpose, sustainability, and healthcare.

Currently, many countries worldwide produce various 3D food printers, developing special foods such as combat food, space food, restaurants, floating food, and elderly food. The 3D food printing technology industry is in its early stages; hence awareness is low. Various healthcare cases are using 3D food printing technology to serve various needs. For instance, 3D-printed food can feed the elderly and those with chewing or swallowing difficulties, such as patients with stroke, progressive dementia and those who might be too frail to eat. But most pureed food does not look appetising and may be rejected by patients, resulting in malnutrition. This is where 3D-printed food can be created in appealing shapes while being pureed and containing the necessary nutrients. Dieticians could make personalised, palatable, and visually presentable pureed food to enable a dignified and pleasurable experience dining experience that is affordable every time.

3D food printing technology is expected to become a new trend in the new normal era after COVID-19. Compared to other 3D printing industries, 3D food printing technology has a relatively small overall 3D printing utilisation and industry size because of problems such as insufficient institutionalisation and limitation of standardised food materials for 3D food printing. Hence, the growth potential of this novel industry is very high.

In addition, 3D food printing will contribute to global sustainability efforts by utilising food waste such as bread, fruits, and vegetables to create recipes that can be 3D-printed and still be edible.

​ About the Speaker

Professor Chua Chee Kai

Head of Pillar, Engineering Product Development, SUTD
Cheng Tsang Man Chair Professor

Professor Chua Chee Kai is the Head of Pillar for Engineering Product Development (EPD) and Cheng Tsang Man Chair Professor at SUTD. His research area is in 3D Printing & Rapid Prototyping or Additive Manufacturing. He is the foremost expert in Singapore in this area and was awarded the prestigious International Freeform and Additive Manufacturing Excellence (FAME) Award in 2018. Prof Chua is also the most published and most cited scientist in “Rapid Prototyping / Additive Manufacturing” (3D Printing) according to the Web of Science. He has published in more than 500 international journals, conference papers, books, book chapters and patents.

About the City Pioneers Series

In a world besieged by challenges, from climate change to cybersecurity threats to resource scarcity, cities are becoming focal points for tackling the problems of the days. In these tightly packed and quickly developing metropolis, our existential threats are manifesting clearly. At the same time, it is in these human hubs that numerous solutions and ideas are being put to the test to save our nation and our planet.

At the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities (LKYCIC), we aim to be on the forefront of urban research in order to engender discussions and formulate frameworks to confront the most pressing problems facing our cities and society today. Bringing together a multitude of expertise from geography to economics to the social sciences, LKYCIC bridges the silos and proposes well-rounded solutions for all stakeholders. Simultaneously, the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) is a national and global leader in innovating technological solutions for a variety of problems. Leveraging a creative curriculum structure, SUTD provides its graduates with not just a tool but rather a toolbox of options to tackle any problems.

The City Pioneers Series is a webinar series which aims to bring pioneering thoughts to the young pioneers of Singapore. Expert speakers from LKYCIC and SUTD will present on a variety of topics relevant to the urban environment from novel and exciting perspective. The aim of the series is to introduce promising young researchers, technological innovators, and entrepreneurs of Singapore to the cutting edge of urban studies and research, potentially changing the way they see, understand, and appreciate their city and community.


Registration

Registration closed. For enquiries and more information, please write to lkycic@sutd.edu.sg.

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