Purpose: The last decade has seen major advances in rapid prototyping (RP), with it becoming a multi‐disciplinary technology, crossing various research fields, and connecting continents. Process and material advancements open up new applications and manufacturing (through RP) is serving non‐traditional industries. RP technology is used to support rapid product development (RPD). The purpose of this paper is to describe how the Integrated Product Development research group of the Central University of Technology, Free State, South Africa is applying various CAD/CAM/RP technologies to support a medical team from the Grootte Schuur and Vincent Palotti hospitals in Cape Town, to save limbs – as a last resort at a stage where conventional medical techniques or practices may not apply any longer.Design/methodology/approach: The paper uses action research to justify the proposal of a new method to use CAD/CAM/RP related technologies to substitute lost/damaged bone regions through the use of CT to CAD to.STL manipulation.Findings: A case study where RP related technologies were used to support medical product development for a patient with severe injuries from a road accident is discussed.Originality/value: The paper considers current available technologies, and discusses new advancements in direct metal freeform fabrication, and its potential to revolutionise the medical industry.

Powder bed fusion (PBF) process has been used successfully to produce 3D structures using single material properties. The current industrial demand is to use the technology to produce 3D structures of multimaterial properties. An electron beam melting (EBM) process has been used to produce 3D structures of multimaterial properties. However, due to the large beam size, the EBM process lacks geometrical accuracy, requiring a large machining allowance. A laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process could be used to produce multimaterials with geometrical precision. However, the thermal gradient within the molten pool and the thermophysical difference between the multimaterials leads to defects (weak interfacial bonds, interlayer and intralayer cracks). Other challenges such as poor powder delivery system, powder cross-contamination, and lack of appropriate data processing software for producing 3D multimaterial structures are not yet fully resolved. Nonetheless, there have been encouraging results for producing the next generational multimaterial 3D components of intricate geometrical characteristics.

Purpose – Not all the inventors and designers have access to computer-aided design (CAD) software to transform their design or invention into a 3D solid model. Therefore, they cannot submit an STL file to a rapid prototyping (RP) service bureau for a quotation but perhaps only a 2D sketch or drawing. This paper proposes an alternative approach to build time estimation that will enable cost quotations to be issued before 3D CAD has been used. Design/methodology/approach – The study presents a method of calculating build time estimations within a target error limit of 10 per cent of the actual build time of a prototype. This is achieved by using basic volumetric shapes, such as cylinders and cones, added together to represent the model in the 2D sketch. By using this information the build time of the product is then calculated with the aid of models created in a mathematical solving software package. Findings – The development of the build time estimator and its application to several build platforms are described together with an analysis of its performance in comparison with the benchmark software. The estimator was found to meet its target 10 per cent error limit in 80 per cent of the stereolithography builds that were analysed. Research limitations/implications – The estimator method was not able to handle multi-component complex parts builds in a timely manner. There is a trade-off between accuracy and processing time. Practical implications – The output from the estimator can be fed directly into cost quotations to be sent to RP bureau customers at a very early stage in the design process. Originality/value – Unlike all the other build estimators that were encountered, this method works directly from a 2D sketch or drawing rather than a 3D CAD file.

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a method that creates physical objects layer by layer. This paper presents a prototype STereoLithography (STL) slicing and tool path generation algorithm, which serves as a data front-end for an entry level three-dimensional (3-D) printer. Used mainly in AM, 3-D printers are devices that apply plastic, ceramic and metal, layer by layer, in all three dimensions on a flat surface. 3-D printers, unfortunately, cannot actually print an object without a special algorithm, required to create the computer numerical control (CNC) instructions (commonly known as G-code) for printing. Therefore, the STL slicing and tool path algorithm forms a critical component for AM. The purpose of this study was to develop an algorithm that is capable of processing and slicing an STL file or multiple STL files resulting in a tool path and finally generating a G-code file for an entry level 3-D printer.

Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, is considered a renaissance of the manufacturing industry. Its unique capability of manufacturing 3D objects with intricate geometrical configurations has been used to produce hospital equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE) in an attempt to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa. The technology has been used by different research units to produce ventilators, respirator face masks, oscillating respiratory devices, oxygen connectors, oxygen splitters, non-invasive ventilation helmets, reusable clinician PPE, visor frames for face shields, etc. Despite the efforts of the AM community in South Africa, COVID-19 infections have continued to increase in the country. It came to light that technological interventions (including AM) alone cannot prevent the spread of the virus without the corresponding adaptive behavioural changes, such as adhering to COVID-19 prevention protocols (washing of hands, social distancing, etc.). It could be postulated that the spread of COVID-19 can only be prevented by inter-marrying the technological interventions (AM) with adaptive behavioural changes.