Building Hardware in Singapore: Our 3D Printing Journey

When people think about hardware startups, they usually picture Shenzhen -- the massive factories, the supply chain ecosystem, the scale. Singapore is not Shenzhen. We do not have sprawling PCB fabrication plants or injection molding facilities on every corner. What we do have is a surprisingly vibrant maker community, excellent logistics, and an environment where a solo builder can ship a real hardware product without needing a factory floor.

This is the story of how Glint's enclosures came to be, and what we have learned about building physical products on this small island.

Why 3D printing?

The decision to 3D print our enclosures was not born from idealism -- it was born from practicality. Injection molding, the standard process for producing plastic enclosures at scale, requires expensive steel tooling. A single mold can cost thousands of dollars and takes weeks to produce. If you discover a design flaw after the mold is cut, you are looking at significant rework costs and delays.

3D printing flips this equation entirely. There is no tooling cost. Design changes can be made in CAD software in the morning and printed by the afternoon. There are no minimum order quantities -- we can print one unit or fifty with the same setup. For a small operation iterating quickly on a new product, this flexibility is invaluable.

We have gone through over twenty revisions of the Glint case design. Some changes were structural -- adjusting wall thickness for strength, redesigning snap-fit joints for easier assembly. Others were aesthetic -- refining the bezel width around the e-paper display, adjusting the curve of the corners. With injection molding, each of those revisions would have been a costly setback. With 3D printing, each one was simply the next print job in the queue.

Materials and process

We print primarily with PLA and PETG filaments. PLA offers excellent surface finish and dimensional accuracy, making it ideal for the clean, minimal look we want for Glint. PETG adds heat resistance and durability, which matters for a device that might sit near a window in Singapore's tropical climate.

Each enclosure takes roughly three to four hours to print. We run multiple printers simultaneously to maintain throughput. Post-processing is minimal by design -- we have optimized our print settings and orientations so that the cases come off the printer looking clean, with minimal visible layer lines. The goal is a finished product that feels considered, not like a rough prototype.

Design philosophy: functional first, beautiful second

Our design process starts with constraints, not aesthetics. The e-paper display has fixed dimensions. The ESP32 microcontroller and battery need specific clearances for heat dissipation and antenna performance. The USB-C port needs to be accessible. The case needs to sit stably on a desk or mount on a wall. Every design decision begins with these functional requirements.

Beauty comes from solving these constraints well. When a case fits its components precisely, when the display sits flush with the bezel, when the weight distribution feels balanced in your hand -- that is where the elegance emerges. We are not adding decoration. We are refining function until it becomes form.

The evolution of our colors

Glint currently ships in two colors: black and white. These are the essentials -- a matte black that disappears on a dark desk, and a clean white that blends with lighter setups. The filaments we use produce a subtle, slightly textured finish that feels more like a consumer product than a 3D print.

We are actively developing three new colors for upcoming releases. Clear cases will use a translucent PETG that lets you see the circuit board and components inside -- perfect for the technically curious. Orange and yellow options will add a pop of personality for those who want their dashboard to be a visible statement piece rather than a background object. These vibrant colors have been popular requests from our early testers, and we are excited to offer them soon.

The Singapore maker ecosystem

Singapore may be small, but its maker community punches well above its weight. Makerspaces like the ones at Science Centre and various community workshops provide access to tools and, more importantly, to other builders who understand the specific challenges of making hardware here. The cost of space is high, humidity is a constant battle for filament storage, and sourcing components often means navigating international shipping timelines.

But there are unique advantages too. Singapore's postal system is extraordinarily efficient -- we can ship to any address on the island within a day or two. The government has been supportive of maker culture and hardware innovation through various grants and programs. And the density of the country means that meetups, user testing, and hand-deliveries are always practical.

Tips for fellow Singapore makers

If you are thinking about building a hardware product in Singapore, here is what we have learned. Start with 3D printing -- it lets you validate your design before committing to expensive manufacturing processes. Store your filament in dry boxes with silica gel; Singapore's humidity will ruin an open spool in weeks. Join local maker communities early; the knowledge sharing is genuinely generous. And do not underestimate the power of starting small. You do not need a factory to build something real. You need a printer, a clear problem to solve, and the willingness to iterate until you get it right.

Glint started as a weekend project on a single 3D printer. It has grown into a product we are proud of, built entirely in Singapore, one print at a time.