VUT Science Park to showcase latest global technologies at RAPDASA 2016

Preparations are under way as VUT's Science and Technology Park gears up to host the 17th Annual International RAPDASA conference will be hosted at the VUT Science and Technology Park in Sebokeng from 2 to 4 November 2016, on behalf of the Rapid Product and Development Association of South Africa (RAPDASA).

The RAPDASA 17th International Conference aims to summarise the achievements made in the field of 3D printing and focus on the impact made in business and the industry by Additive Manufacturing under the theme "Building on the Foundations - Consolidating impact into products to enhance quality of life for all South Africans".

The theme is aimed at supporting and encouraging the development of the Additive Manufacturing Industry, better known as "3D Printing", industry. This industry has matured from a prototyping technology base into a fully-fledged manufacturing technology output. Additive Manufactured (AM) technologies are currently used in a wide variety of manufacturing sectors such as the Aerospace Industry, Medical, Bio-medical, Dentistry, R&D, Automotive and many more.

Throughout the years, AM has demonstrated its value, is of a disruptive nature and can be considered a technology that can be used to improve the quality of life for all human beings. This year's conference will focus on how Additive Manufacturing can impact on all South Africans by transferring ideas into business.

The 2016 RAPDASA Conference comes at a time when VUT is celebrating 50 years of academic excellence, bringing together academics, researchers, engineers, designers, managers, engineers, scientists and senior technical personnel from design, development and manufacturing related companies from all over the world.

Especially selected, renowned international guests and keynote speakers will form part of the professional, specialist presenters in the field of Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing. The assortment of speakers will share the world's most innovative and up to date technologies that are used globally.

In support of this theme, the conference will allow the general public, industry, inventors, universities and funding agencies to interact with each other, including a tour through the Advanced Manufacturing Precinct at the VUT Science Park, demonstrating its capacity and available services.

An exciting national 3D Print Design Competition, will form part of the RAPDASA 2016 conference. The competition is aimed at encouraging designers, engineers and artists to use the latest technology, to promote awareness of Additive Manufacturing (AM) and attempts to gauge the country's capability to design and engineer for AM.

This year's challenge is to design a miniature mechanical object (gadget), especially an ingenious or novel example, to make life easier, simpler, better or just more fun.