Should Namibia Embrace 3D Manufacturing?

•JAMES CUMMING ADDITIVE printing (or 3D printing) has been around for a while, but have only really been used in laboratories or by research institutions. While the technology is still in its infancy, it has recently become available to the general public through the likes of Makerbot or easy3dmaker at relatively affordable prices.

Generally, 3D printing is done by printing layers of resin or other material over and over again, on top of each other, to build up the 3D object, but takes a very long time. Recently, a new method of additive printing was discovered, inspired by Terminator 2’s liquid metal T-1000, which is termed Continuous Liquid Interface Production (or CLIP), in which the printed item grows out of a liquid bath – this is about 100 times quicker than printing layer by layer.

The advantage of 3D manufacturing, or manufacturing using a 3D printer, is that highly intricate and complex lattice structures can be manufactured, with extremely high strength to weight ratios, which can’t be manufactured using traditional injection mould manufacturing or by milling. The aerospace, automobile, engineering industries and so on would benefit vastly from this.

The medical industry is set to be revolutionised too. Imagine having customised stents manufactured for you in the operating room, rather than having to wait for one to be ordered from the supplier. Or how about bio-printing, where organs or body parts can be printed for you. Customisation of medical equipment such as hearing aid earpieces, teeth or other implants can be manufactured while you wait.

If you want to buy a particular Lego set today, you would either have to go to the toy store and hope they have that set in stock, or go through the process of ordering it from overseas. Imagine in the future, if you owned a 3D printer you could simply download the design file and print the set, or you could go to the print shop to have it manufactured. The same could be said for clothing accessories, car parts or ornaments – the possibilities are endless.

This will be particularly beneficial for countries like Namibia, which are situated far from manufacturers and items must be shipped over long distances. Think of a cellphone cover: it is manufactured in China, it is transported to Durban via ship and then by road to Windhoek, possibly half its cost relates to transport. Imagine the cost savings if you could just download a file and print the cover yourself.

However, the real economic benefit of 3D manufacturing is that it makes manufacturing more accessible and it lowers the barriers of entry. A 3D printer could replace a long and expensive production line. In future, the real value-add is not likely to be the actual manufacturing, although there will be significant economic, productivity and efficiency benefits. The real value-add will be at the design stage.

3D manufacturing can take place anywhere in the world, close to consumers, but without the designers who produce the instruction files for manufacturing the 3D object, the printers are useless. I foresee a new industry being created which just produces these designs, and licenses them to others to build.

This is a new, game-changing technology, still in its infancy stage. It now offers a great opportunity and advantage to those who move quickly to seize the day. Our government wants us to be innovative and become a regional player – well, here is such an opportunity, and there will be many more to come from future technological innovations.

* James Cumming is head of research at Simonis Storm Securities.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.

The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.