The extrusion laboratory, which has been set up in collaboration and with the financial support of the dti and ChemCity, Sasol's business incubator, enables manufacturers, including small and medium-sized businesses, to develop, test, manufacture and market high technology products or small runs.
According to Prof. L J Grobler, executive director of the CoE, the risk to develop an unsuccessful product lowers substantially since manufacturers can produce a test product in the laboratory and test it in the market.
This laboratory forms part of the extended facilities available at the NWU to give role-players in the manufacturing industry access to the latest technology and research in advanced manufacturing. Agreements have also been made with the Texas A & M University in the US and the Vaal University of Technology (VUT).
A mini food processing plant, developed by the NWU, is housed in this laboratory. These plants, which can be erected across the whole of South Africa, will enable local entrepreneurs to manufacture food products. The demand for these plants is huge, especially for remote communities, who can produce nutritious food products by means of an energy and cost-effective process. Marketable products can be manufactured near the places where the raw products are cultivated. Examples of products include maize, grain and soy, which are processed into cereal foods, high-energy porridge and soy bean meat alternatives.
A fibre polymer composite extrusion laboratory, established in collaboration with ChemCity, forms part of the facilities. Research and development work in polymer processing (a process to obtain a type of composite material) are undertaken to, for instance, develop prototype products, manufacture test product sets with different types of material and facilitate the establishment of BBBEE processing and production facilities.
The establishing of a centre for wood polymer compounding and filled polymer compounding production is in process.
Grobler adds that, “The centre currently supports government attempts to establish manufacturing plants in, amongst others, the food, agriculture and plastic industries. Initiatives to establish food-manufacturing plants along with role-players in local governments, communities and business sectors already are in process in the Northern Cape, North West, Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces.
“We assist entrepreneurs in producing local products by being involved from the conceptualisation stage, right through product testing, business development up to the creation of plants and training of staff.”
The Centre gladly makes its research and development facilities in manufacturing available to entrepreneurs. Contact it on tel +27 (0) 18 299 1329 or e-mail .
