Turning mind into matter

Welcome to the Rapid Product Development Laboratory website of the University of Stellenbosch.

The idea of being able to create something from nothing has always captured the imagination of researchers and inventors. Developed in the late 1980s, a range of technologies known as Layered Manufacturing (LM), made what was previously thought to be impossible, become a reality. This term represents a class of additive fabrication processes by which complex, three-dimensional objects are created automatically from computer-generated data. Today many experts worldwide are amazed by its growing popularity in many diverse applications. It has positively influenced the automotive, jewellery, toy, medical, and architecture industries, and has provided strategic benefits to help advance various organisations in South Africa and abroad.

Deploying this new technology, a team of engineers, technicians and students at the Rapid Product Development (RPD) Laboratory of the University’s Global Competitiveness Centre in Engineering (GCC) at the Department of Industrial Engineering, have applied 3D printers and a host of other high end technologies to create prototypes for both research and industrial purposes. During these activities, process chains incorporating the 3D printing process into conventional and new manufacturing methods have been investigated, implemented and mastered, and as such, technology transfer into industry has been facilitated.

Please feel free to browse through our website and contact us to find out how we may assist you to turn what’s in your mind into something that matters!

Stellenbosch University

Department of Industrial Engineering, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602