CUT awarded SARChI chair for innovations in medical 3D printing

Letsoalo Letsoalo, Junior Project Engineer at the CRPM showed Minister Pandor some of the 3D printed items in the state-of-the-art facilities located in the Engineering Technology Building at CUT, Bloemfontein campus

The Centre for Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing (CRPM) at the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) is at the cutting edge of 3D printing, working in the design, development and manufacturing of medical devices. It has assisted 12 patients to date. Two of them had titanium implants installed into their jaws by doctors at Kimberly Hospital last year. These implants were printed layer-by-layer using the AM process to ensure they fitted perfectly into the individual jaws of each patient.

Research Chair

The CRPM has recently been awarded a Research Chair in Medical Product Development under the Department of Science and Technology's South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI), the goal of which is to increase the research output and innovation in areas that are considered essential to the country's strategic growth and development.

This Research Chair, under the leadership of Prof. Igor Yadroitsau, was awarded in recognition of the excellent work that CUT is doing in this dynamic and exciting field.

Prof. Yadroitsau said the Centre was also focusing on contributing to medical equipment development through the design of innovative devices and production through new AM techniques, in combination with conventional machining techniques.

"AM makes designs possible that conventional methods cannot achieve, so we are definitely going to look into medical equipment development under this research objective, with an emphasis on disabled patient assistive devices," he said.

Ministerial launch

Speaking at the launch of the chair, the Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor, said it was important for the country to continue to build a public environment supportive of higher education institutions. "As with many developing countries, South Africa faces the challenge of competing for leading scientists."

The Minister added that South Africa's funding of public basic research had, however, risen sharply over the past 21 years, as university research was now closely linked to national priorities and global knowledge networks.

Most of the department's funding - well over R4 billion this year - was invested in people, said the Minister. SARChI alone had made R470 million available this year as part of increasing research capacity at the country's universities.

Prof. Thandwa Mthembu, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of CUT, said, "I am particularly pleased that CUT is taking the lead in innovations that will change the face of medical science in South Africa. The CRPM stands proudly at the forefront of innovation in this field."

For more information, go to www.cut.ac.za.