Click, print and profit

More young Singaporeans are building on 3D printing to start side hustles, with some earning up to $10,000 a month

- Sarah Stanley

Of the hundreds of thousands of items that can be crafted with 3D printing, Mr Jovi Lim, 19, chose to perfect one - table lamps.

"Since a young age, I've preferred using small lamps, and not big ceiling lights in my room. I love how they make a space warm," says Mr Lim, who is in the final year of his diploma in business administration at Singapore Polytechnic.

He started toying with 3D printers in April, and turned to YouTube videos and online articles to further his skills.

By July, he had solidified his idea for a home-based business selling table lamps. He launched his brand Sonogo on Sept 15 with two original designs, and to date has sold 130 lamps and made nearly $13,000.

Mr Lim is among a growing number of Singaporeans who have mastered the art and science of 3D printing at home to start a side hustle. The trend is due, in large part, to the rapid growth and development of 3D-printing technology in the last two decades.

In the early 2000s, when the nascent 3D-printing industry was largely restricted to applications in manufacturing and research, a 3D printer could cost thousands of dollars and was not suitable for home use.

Today, an entry-level 3D printer - the size of a large air-fryer - costs around $300 and can print just about anything, from utensils to custom replacement parts.

Chemtron, an additive manufacturing and solutions provider in Singapore which sells 3D printers and materials, has seen a 200 per cent increase in demand for its 3D-printing services from 2023 to 2024.

While it mostly operates on a business-to-business model, its business development manager Tony Moochala has observed that more consumers are now open to the idea of 3D printing at home.

"The barriers to entry are lower now in terms of cost and accessibility. There are also many online communities where people share information and get advice about 3D printing, making it easier to get into the craft," Mr Moochala says.