If you think you’ve got load-shedding problems, spare a thought for businessman Clinton Johns and his 20m-long 5 axis printing machine.
Johns is about to build, or print, an entire upmarket 45ft yacht in Africa’s biggest printing/milling machine — a giant structure bolted into a warehouse in Paarden island industrial area next to Cape Town's port. But while the machine can produce everything from a lampshade to a yacht — with accuracy to 0.025mm — it is dependent on a consistent power supply.
As a result Johns has opted to install generators at a cost of about R250,000.
“It’s a huge expense but we need a totally reliable supply because of the long production cycles,” Johns said this week during a tour of the facility. “Not only is it the R250k extra to spend, any radical spike from Eskom could burn out the Siemens computer processors [the ‘brain’ of the machine]. There is a one-year wait for Siemens parts at the moment, so the machine could be down for a year with continuous load-shedding spikes,” Johns said.
The additional generating power comes on the back of a huge investment in time and money to get the Italian-made machine settled in place. It was airfreighted in six containers at a cost of R1.2m and required a thick cement slab to operate on for peak stabilisation. The installation was overseen by an Italian team of experts using specialist laser equipment.
Despite the power challenges, Johns believes the machine is a game-changer for the local manufacturing scene and he has already been approached by local businesses interested in its accelerated production times.
Without a machine like this many projects will end up overseas. Overseas designers do not want their boats built by hand because of the need for extreme accuracy when joining components in systems such as steering, engines and hatches
Advances in digital technology have sparked a huge leap in printing technology involving sophisticated software that translates digital model objects into physical products in a fraction of the time taken via more labour-intensive methods. A pneumatic arm lays down multiple layers of a range of materials or cuts material to size — everything from aluminium to foam. Ongoing software development will increase the range of products it produces.
Johns believes the 45ft yacht, already well-advanced, will be the proof of concept needed to generate interest across multiple sectors. He plans to build an 80ft performance catamaran.
“Everything gets accelerated — a two-year project becomes a six-month project. We’re seeing it already with people coming on board,” Johns said.
“Without a machine like this many projects will end up overseas. Overseas designers do not want their boats built by hand because of the need for extreme accuracy when joining components in systems such as steering, engines and hatches,” Johns said.
Dubbed Omegaverse, the machine this week hosted several economic stakeholders, including provincial government officials and industry boatbuilders.
Thina Qutywa, executive head of the South African Boat Builders Export Council, said: “Omegaverse is going to change the future of the boat building industry, and not just boat building but the future of South Africa and Africa as a whole. With this kind of technology available to us we need to ensure that its importance and capabilities are shared from an early stage [and] introduced in school curriculums.”
Yachts may be the order of the day but the machine has so far also produced smaller items, including a boat flybridge, hatch components and a racing yacht bowsprit. It made an Incredible Hulk figurine to showcase how it could be used for film industry props and 3D signage.
The technology is already widely in use, albeit on a smaller scale, but larger varieties are widespread abroad, particularly in the automotive industry.
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