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The acquisition of the AMAZEMET rePowder ultrasonic atomisation and alloy development machine by Mintek, South Africa’s national mineral research council, marked a technological breakthrough for the mineral processing and manufacturing industry. Mintek is proud to announce the purchase of a GE Additive Concept Laser Mlab Cusing R laser powder bed fusion 3D printer. Multitrade 3D Systems supplied and installed the machine.

Mintek’s latest technological acquisition, the AMAZEMET rePowder ultrasonic atomisation and alloy development machine, is an extremely advanced piece of equipment that is expected to strengthen and bolster the country’s minerals-based and three-dimensional (3D) printing industries.

The machine also aligns with the national mineral processing and metallurgical research council’s goal of providing critical infrastructure for South Africa’s industrial development.

Although the Covid-19 pandemic has had a very real impact on the sector, both globally and locally, all signs are that additive manufacturing (AM) – popularly called 3D printing – is set to grow rapidly in the coming years, both in South Africa and around the world. That was a clear consensus at the recent annual conference of the Rapid Product Development Association of South Africa (Rapdasa) – the representative body of the local AM sector – held in Pretoria at the International Conference Centre of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

“Globally, the short-term impact of Covid-19 on AM was a substantial deceleration of its growth rate, but no actual contraction occurred,” highlights Loughborough University (in the UK) computer-aided product design specialist and a Rapdasa conference keynote speaker Professor Ian Campbell. “But AM showed itself to be a great responder to the critical needs created by Covid-19. This has…

Ian Marks is an Optician with more than 30 years working experience in the Optical Industry. In the last 4 years, Marks has come up with a new concept of making eyewear via 3D printing which he believes will change the way Optics are made in South Africa and Zimbabwe. The concept involves designing and 3D printing of optical frames for medical patients and clients directly. This is something still very new in Southern Africa. For this purpose, Marks set up a startup company called 3D Optics to realise the goal and now he is working on further establishing his company and going to market.

Marks takes us through his concept, current work done and some challenges faced as a startup.

South Africa is sometimes included as the final country in the group of emerging markets known as the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India and China), but when it comes to the emergence of 3D printing, it is hard to overlook.

The country has been actively involved in additive manufacturing and rapid prototyping for more than two decades, adopting the technology shortly after its birth in the late ’80s.

According to the Rapid Product Development Association of South Africa (RAPDASA), the 3D printing market in South Africa is growing from strength to strength, expanding from a single 3D Systems SLA 250 in 1991 to approximately 268 machines in 2011.

And the country is now in an excellent position for getting returns on its early investment in the technology, as sales have benefitted from considerable growth in the last three years.

But since its relatively early establishment, how has 3D printing in South Africa developed and does it see itself as a world leader?