Call for Proposals: Collaborative Programme in Additive Manufacturing

The Collaborative Programme for Additive Manufacturing (CPAM) is a directed implementation programme to support the South African Additive Manufacturing Strategy. The CPAM has as an objective to reduce the barriers to the adoption of additive manufacturing (AM) as an acceptable manufacturing technology and it focuses on supporting and developing an AM-based SMME industry. 

The purpose of this Call for Proposals (CFP) is to enable new suppliers/SMMEs to enter the supply chain and develop AM technologies and industries to enable market entry and global competitiveness through access to technology. This document outlines the framework and submission procedures for the CFP in the CPAM: SMME development and support priority area. It is a guide for applicants submitting proposals for review by the CPAM technical review committee.

BACKGROUND

The CPAM is an initiative of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, hosted and managed by the CSIR, with a primary focus on industrial development. The CPAM is a government-funded mechanism to support the South African Additive Manufacturing Strategy. The initiative provides strategic direction for enabling capacity development on the following:

• Design, optimisation and preprocessing of data;
  • Process development, monitoring and control;
  • Post-processing;
  • Testing and analysis;
  • Dimensional verification and reverse engineering; and
  • Simulation and modelling.

The role of the CPAM in advancing the knowledge base in South Africa aligned to the AM strategy is to: 

• Establish local design competency for AM-produced parts;
• Establish local competence to produce industrial parts in polymer materials with AM;
• Establish local competence to produce functional metal parts with AM;
• Establish support initiatives for industry development and public awareness;
• Ensure that AM technologies are taken up by industry through an active process of industrialisation; and
• Enable new suppliers to enter the supply chain and develop AM technologies, industries and SMMEs to enable market entry and global competitiveness through access to technology.

Prospective beneficiaries are invited to submit proposals for feasibility studies, prototyping and product development (printing) to enable market entry for AM products. 

Please note that proposals involving capital investment will not be eligible for consideration.

THEMATIC AREAS

The thematic areas selected for this CFP are at the discretion of the CPAM and are considered as the most relevant for technology advancement in South African AM. The scope of work will, among others, cover the following:

• Assistance for design of AM services:
  • Generation of CAD design for the proposed component or part. Optimising an existing design for 3D printing purposes. This can include applying design optimisation algorithms, as well as finite element analysis and optimising routines if required for the functionality of the proposed component.
  • Generation of appropriate 3D-printing files compatible with the 3D-printing technology selected for the component.
• For 3D-printing services:
  • Preparation of the printing files required to produce parts or components on a 3D-printing machine.
  • Supply of feedstock for parts.
  • Production of parts.
  • Quality checks of parts.
  • Post-processing of parts, including arrangement for removing support structures, surface machining, heat treatment or any other post-processing required as part of the component or part production.

Only projects with a Technology Readiness Level/Manufacturing Readiness Level value greater than or equal to three at the start of the project will be considered for support. (This implies that the projects should be in the prototype development stage.)

Click here to get the proposal template and here to get the application form (also attached to the call if struggling with the links)

Submit the completed application/proposal via email (Ms Boitumelo Mabilo) here

Direct any technical queries to the CPAM Technical Lead (Dr Washington Makoana) via email here

NB: Please submit before 16:30 on the day of the deadline.