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Johannesburg - Hobbyists and techies looking to buy 3D printers in South Africa will need to be prepared to part with over R14 000 for an entry-level hi-tech compact device from US company MakerBot.
3D printing entails computer controlled devices using electronic data or models to ‘print’ successive layers of objects in any shape and geometric form. The technology was invented in 1984 but has started taking off this decade.
Objects created by 3D printers range from spanners, shoes and even flying drones.
Engineers and architects are also using 3D printing technology to build project models that can be tested in the real world.
And South Africa has taken to this craze as the likes of Cape Town last month witnessed the opening of the city’s first 3D printing studio.
Meanwhile, Rectron has become the first official South African ICT and consumer electronics distributor for a popular US 3D printing brand dubbed ‘MakerBot’.
But these hi-tech gadgets come with hefty price tags, costing R14 018 (excluding VAT) for an entry-level compact MakerBot Replicator Mini 3D Printer, R20 380 (excluding VAT) for a MakerBot 2 Desktop 3D Printer and topping R66 256 (excluding VAT) for its biggest model, the MakerBot Replicator Z18.
And these prices exclude the 3D printing material or filament costs, which for the "Mini" 3D printer range from R212 for a “khaki” colour to R587 for “glow in the dark”. Filament for the Z18 has a minimum price of R1 349.
Examples of objects that can be created using 3D printing technology. (Gareth van Zyl)
However, Bruce Bradford, group business unit manager for the printer category at Rectron, told Fin24 that his business is targeting a mix of consumers and bigger education, engineering, architecture and design organisations. Rectron started selling MakerBot devices in SA on 1 November.
"We've sold a fair amount of units; we've met expectations on it,” Bradford said, without disclosing exact sales numbers, but claiming the company has sold “dozens” to date.
"So, what's nice is that we've sold a mix. So, we've sold the consumer the entry Mini and then we've also gone right through to the Z18 and the ones in between, which are obviously for more of the commercial use,” he said.
Bradford said Rectron are also busy negotiating with a big retail chain. In the meantime, Rectron is selling 3D printers via its national reseller network, smaller retailers and e-commerce channels.
Owners of the MakerBot devices can also buy designs on an online store via the likes of an Apple iOS app with an Android app in the pipeline. Free 3D designs are also available on websites such as Thingiverse.
MakerBot 3D printing products on display in Joburg: pic.twitter.com/lepA9fHJRo
— Gareth van Zyl (@GarethvanZyl) December 3, 2014Solid global growth
Worldwide shipments of 3D printers are forecast to reach 217 350 units in 2015, up from 108 151 in 2014, according to research from Gartner released in October.
Gartner’s research further forecast that “3D printer shipments will more than double every year between 2015 and 2018” to reach over 2.3 million.
"Unit shipment growth rates for 3D printers, which languished in the low single and double digits per year throughout the 30 years since the first 3D printers were invented, are poised to increase dramatically beginning in 2015,” said Pete Basiliere, research vice president at Gartner.
“As radical as the forecast numbers may seem, bear in mind that even the 2.3 million shipments that we forecast will be sold in 2018 are a small fraction of the total potential market of consumers, businesses and government organisations worldwide," Basiliere added.
* Follow @GarethvanZyl on Twitter. For more tech news, follow Fin24tech @Fin24_Tech.
