Shaping Manufacturing Future!
3D printing has transformed remarkably over the past few decades, emerging as a core of modern manufacturing and biomanufacturing. Initially developed for prototyping, 3D printing now encompasses an array of applications from industrial production to biomedical innovations, where it enables precise tissue engineering and regenerative medicine solutions. Its evolution is driven by continuous technological advancements, with additive manufacturing technologies enabling the creation of intricate, functional parts across multiple sectors. The industry’s shift toward sustainability and material efficiency also highlights its potential to address global challenges, such as reducing waste and promoting localized production.
Prof. Paulo Jorge Da Silva Bartolo is a distinguished leader in the field of 3D printing, currently serving as the Director of the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing. His expertise and visionary approach have significantly influenced the direction of additive manufacturing and biomanufacturing. Through his innovative research and collaborative mindset, Prof. Paulo has played a key role in advancing new techniques and systems, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the industry. His leadership is marked by an openness to new ideas and a constant drive to explore the potential that 3D printing offers for solving societal challenges.
Nanyang Technological University Singapore, home to the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing, has become a leading research institution in the Asia-Pacific region under Prof. Paulo’s direction. The university has expanded its research initiatives in metal additive manufacturing, sustainable production, and bioprinting, earning a reputation as a global hub for innovation in 3D printing technology. By cultivating innovative research and collaborations, the university continues to make extensive contributions to the future of manufacturing, enhancing its position as a world-class institution in the field.
Let’s delve into Prof. Paulo’s remarkable journey in the field of 3D printing.
Innovations in 3D Printing and Biomanufacturing
Prof. Paulo’s career began in 1992 when he was completing his Mechanical Engineering degree at the Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), University of Lisbon, Portugal. During this time, he prepared an essay on rapid prototyping for a “Welding and Casting” unit, a subject that was relatively new, with the first patent from Charles Hull dating back to the early 1980s.
This sparked his fascination with additive manufacturing, a field he has remained closely connected to ever since. A year later, at IST, he began working with a basic plastic lamination-type 3D printing system provided by a Swedish company, which soon disappeared from the market. At the time, additive manufacturing was in its infancy, and the focus was on exploring its potential for producing architectural models, though the system had several limitations.
Prof. Paulo started a master’s dissertation on additive manufacturing, intending to use a vat-photopolymerization system that the University of Lisbon planned to acquire. However, delays in its purchase prevented further progress. In 1997, after joining the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria (Portugal) in 1994, he received a grant from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) to pursue a PhD at the University of Reading, UK, focusing on additive manufacturing.
His PhD dissertation, titled “Optical approaches to macroscopic and microscopic engineering,” developed the theoretical basis for a new photofabrication system. This system used optical and thermal effects to induce phase changes in liquid photo-curable resin to “write” complex 3D shapes inside the polymer vat. Additionally, he developed a thermal-kinetic model to simulate the physical and chemical changes in the material influenced by radiation and heat.
Between 1994 and 2014, Prof. Paulo held various roles at the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, where he started his academic career as a lecturer. He served as Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department (2001-2009), President of the Research Assessment Commission (2009-2013), President of the Scientific Council of the Institute for Research, Development, and Advanced Studies (2009-2013), Member of the Academic Council and Senate (2009-2013), Co-Director of the Executive Committee of the Centre for Post-Graduate Studies (2004-2006), and Member of the Scientific Council of the School of Technology and Management (2001-2011).
From 2007 to 2014, he was the Director of the Centre for Rapid and Sustainable Product Development (CDRSP), which he founded in 2007. CDRSP became the first research center in Portugal dedicated to additive manufacturing, gaining international recognition. In 2013, he launched the Portuguese Additive Manufacturing Initiative (PAMI), funded by the Portuguese Government and part of the National Roadmap for Portuguese Research Infrastructures.
At the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, Prof. Paulo founded the International Conference on Advanced Research in Virtual and Physical Prototyping (VRAP) in 2003, which became a leading global event in the field. He also initiated other conferences, including the ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Tissue Engineering (ICTE Conference) and the International Conference on Sustainable Intelligent Manufacturing (SIM Conference). In 2005, he established the Portuguese Rapid Prototyping Association, representing Portugal in the Global Alliance of Rapid Prototyping Associations (GARPA). He also played a key role in launching the Virtual and Physical Prototyping Journal, serving as Editor-in-Chief until 2018.
In Leiria, he developed various additive manufacturing systems, including a Multimaterial Bioextruder, Biocell Printing, an in situ skin printing system, and the Rapid Prototyping by Reactive Extrusion (Rapid PRE) system. These systems advanced fields such as tissue engineering, biomanufacturing, and large-scale plastic part fabrication.
In 2014, Prof. Paulo accepted a position as Chair Professor at the University of Manchester’s School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MACE), where he focused on developing biomanufacturing. He held several leadership roles, including Industry 4.0 University Academic Leader and Head of the Manufacturing Group.
He also contributed to several initiatives, including the Digital Futures program and the Advanced Medical Materials@Manchester platform. His research at Manchester included the development of the Plasma-Assisted Bioextrusion System (PABS), which combined multi-head extrusion printing and plasma systems for biomaterial processing.
He also collaborated with Matoke Holdings on wound dressings with enhanced antibacterial and regenerative properties, resulting in several patents. He played a key role in launching the “Textiles Circularity Centre: Circular Bioeconomy for Textile Materials,” focusing on material circularity and innovation in the UK’s manufacturing sector.
Since 2021, Prof. Paulo has been Chair Professor at the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, where he also serves as Executive Director of the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing (SC3DP) and Programme Director of the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC) Hub at NTU.
Under his leadership, SC3DP expanded its research activities and became a leading research center in additive manufacturing in the Asia-Pacific region. He has been involved in projects related to metal additive manufacturing, sustainable manufacturing, bioprinting, and food printing. Prof. Paulo also launched the International Conference on Design for 3D Printing, which he has chaired since 2022.
Currently, he is developing a new metal laser-based powder bed fusion technology capable of fabricating multi-metal parts and functionally graded structures, representing a breakthrough in metal additive manufacturing.
Promoting Creativity and Innovation
The ability to create totally new and unique products, to design novel materials tailoring their properties in entirely new ways, and the ability to develop new solutions and products close to the point of use, promoting creativity and innovation with significant economic and environmental advantages, inspired his focus on Advanced Manufacturing and 3D Printing throughout his career.
Maximizing Team Potential and Motivation
Prof. Paul’s approach to leading a prominent center for 3D Printing research and innovation at Nanyang Technological University involves being open to new challenges and available to listen to people who work and collaborate with the center, contributing to the establishment of a creative environment. He avoids saying “no” but instead looks for solutions or alternatives.
By knowing the strengths and weaknesses of all collaborators, he provides all the necessary means to maximize their potential, pushing, motivating, and stimulating them. A center like the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing needs to have state-of-the-art equipment, but its greatest strength lies in its people, its ideas, its ability to imagine the future, and its ability to use technology to provide solutions addressing key technological, economic, social, and environmental challenges.
Finally, he promotes collaborations and research partnerships with other research centers within Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, and outside NTU, working together and embracing new and rewarding opportunities, as well as hosting researchers from all over the world to share new experiences, ideas, and knowledge.
Tackling Industry and Society Challenges
Teamwork, collaboration, and interdisciplinarity have always been fundamental pillars in Prof. Paulo’s career. The success he has had throughout his career is the result of the work, dedication, and enthusiasm of all the people, colleagues, and students with distinct backgrounds from different parts of the world who worked or have been working with him. Without their support, his career might certainly have been different and much less attractive.
In a way, he has been shaped by those around him who worked with him. Collaboration and interdisciplinary research are also vital in all fields, particularly in the additive manufacturing and biomanufacturing fields. The success of the Research Centres he launched, or the Centre he is leading today, was based on the collaboration of many, bringing expertise from different areas of knowledge, thus creating innovative and creative research environments allowing to tackle the challenges faced by industry and society.
Overcoming Key Societal Challenges
The International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP) has the ambition to be at the top of advanced manufacturing technologies. At CIRP, they are constantly discussing how to develop and push the limits of additive manufacturing and other advanced manufacturing technologies to overcome key challenges facing society today.
This ambition has been supported by several dedicated working groups bringing together academics with different expertise and industrialists. Key aspects being addressed are related, among others, to sustainability, mass personalization and customization, cost reduction of materials, machines, and produced parts, standards and qualifications, and training.
A challenge and an exciting opportunity are related to the convergence of technologies. This includes not only the integration of multiple manufacturing technologies, including different additive manufacturing techniques but also the integration of additive manufacturing and other digital technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, etc.).
This integration has been used for in-process monitoring, materials design, predictive maintenance, and the development of digital twins for process optimization, predicting behaviors of parts, machines, or operators, and decision-making. Significant progress is expected in the future, allowing for smarter, more efficient, accurate, and reproducible systems to support materials and parts traceability and supply chain transparency.
Besides, this convergence of technologies is opening new frontiers for material development (e.g., smarter and more energy-efficient materials) and for processing different families of materials in a single machine. Overall, this convergence of technologies will keep changing the way we think, design, build, and deliver a product.
Recognition for Research and Innovation
Among the various awards he received, excluding the various teaching awards he won over the years with a special meaning for him, he likes to highlight four awards. Firstly, two awards were given by the Leiria City Council, the city where he grew up and studied until he went to the university, where he started his academic career and dedicated 20 years of his professional life, namely in 2009, the Afonso Lopes Vieira award on Research and Innovation, and the city of Leiria Medal of Merit in 2022, to distinguish his career and his national and international achievements.
Secondly, the Gold Medal of Merit of the Portuguese Communities from the Portuguese Government distinguishes individuals who provided outstanding contributions to promote the culture, values, language, and prestige of Portugal internationally. This last award has a very special meaning to him as he has been working outside Portugal since 2014.
Finally, the Kobayashi Award, named after Professor Albert Kobayashi at the University of Washington, who made significant contributions to research and education in experimental mechanics for over 50 years, distinguishes individuals for worthy contributions in the category of experimental science.
This award acknowledges his contributions to the design and development of 3D-printed biological constructs for tissue engineering, an area to which he dedicated most of his work over the last 15 years.
Finally, the two commendations he got also have a special meaning for him. He received a 2015 commendation from the Portuguese Government for his contribution to the Research and Innovation areas and a 2014 commendation he got from the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria after serving for 20 years.
Mentorship with Integrity and Dedication
Prof. Paulo prioritizes a culture of work, integrity, dedication, respect, inclusivity, diversity, and teamwork values in mentorship. As a mentor, he always tries to bring out the best in each person and to unlock their potential, developing their critical spirit their sense of responsibility, encouraging curiosity, perseverance, and risk-taking, as well as the drive to contribute to a better world and the ability to learn from failure.
Empathetic and Inspiring Leadership
He likes to be remembered as someone with empathy, inspiration and motivation, able to unlock the best of those who work with him, someone with initiative, dedication, and passion for science and engineering, and a true leader, leading by example. He feels lucky to have been surrounded by fantastic people and to have built excellent research teams.
His values and vision have been transmitted to his multiple students, who presently have relevant roles in industry and academia, so he is sure they will be able to transmit the same values and vision to students and colleagues, which will be his legacy for many years to come.
Enjoying Leisure Activities Beyond Work
Outside of his professional endeavors, Prof. Paulo likes to travel and discover new places and cultures. Until now, he has had the privilege of visiting about sixty countries globally. He really enjoys cinema and listening to music, as well as reading newspapers and books, especially those related to history and political science.
Optimism and Confidence for the Future
He believes milestones are good opportunities for personal and professional growth. His first significant milestone happened in May 2007 when the Centre for Rapid and Sustainable Product Development in Portugal, of which he was the Director, was classified as a Center of Excellence by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology.
Prof. Paulo always had a proactive and open mind toward change, which was a catalyst for seeking new challenges and setting fresh goals. The next milestone occurred when he was elected CIRP Fellow and moved to the University of Manchester as a Full Professor, which provided additional motivation to keep going forward. It was a time not only for celebration and excitement but also to reflect and learn, to be open to change and new opportunities.
The last milestone took place when he moved to Singapore to be the Executive Director of the NTU Singapore Centre for 3D Printing. This has been a significant and rewarding milestone; it is very inspiring to be surrounded by a great team and a supportive environment. Together, with a passion and commitment to drive impact, they approach the next years with energy and enthusiasm, looking forward to the future with optimism and confidence.
