The Design & Sustainability for Additive Manufacturing (DSAM) Research Lab at the Faculty of Technology Management and Technopreneurship (FTKMP), Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), has secured a Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) grant from the Ministry of Higher Education (KPT). The grant will fund the establishment of an Additive Manufacturing lab focused on composite materials research, led by Dr. Mastura and Dr. Shahibudil.
The Research Focus: Composite Materials in AM
Composite materials represent one of the frontier areas in additive manufacturing research. Traditional AM processes work well with single-material feedstocks — metals, polymers, ceramics. Composites introduce multiple materials — fibres, fillers, matrices — into a single structure, enabling properties that no single material can achieve alone: high specific stiffness, tailored thermal behaviour, controlled electrical conductivity.
Developing the process knowledge to print composite materials reliably, and understanding the resulting mechanical and physical properties, requires exactly the kind of fundamental research that an FRGS grant supports.
3D Gens' Role
3D Gens is committed to supporting DSAM's research efforts as the new AM lab is established. This support may take the form of technical consultation on equipment selection and configuration, access to 3D Gens' operational knowledge of AM processes, and collaboration on translating research findings toward practical applications.
The Broader Significance
Fundamental research grants like FRGS are important not just for the individual projects they fund but for the research capacity they build. Dr. Mastura and Dr. Shahibudil's lab will become a centre of expertise in AM composite materials — producing knowledge, training researchers, and potentially spinning out applications that benefit industry.
3D Gens sees supporting this kind of research as an investment in Malaysia's long-term AM capability.