FEATURE
COVER STORY
There is strong growth in the sector as the R4 billion ($ 321 million ) market in 2012 rose by 351 % to over R13 billion ($ 1.1 billion ) in 2017 . This is set to accelerate , expanding at annual growth rate of 14.3 % to 2022 , a value of R27.3 billion ($ 2.1 billion ).
Inkjet printing allows the supply chain to be shortened and made more flexible . There are many T-shirt printers offering a web-to-shirt service , where the buyer uploads their own unique image to be printed on to a garment on demand . The printing takes a large part of the value and will be done close to the buyer .
For a fashion collection , stock-outs may be avoided by printing and making popular sizes and styles locally in small quantities .
The printing of electronics is still an evolving technology . It opens up a host of design opportunities and will enable the creation of a range of futuristic electronic devices . Printed electronics allows electronic functionality to be delivered on a far wider range of substrates than conventional methods .
It will enable products with a cost and functionality that conventional electronic structures cannot deliver . While traditional electronics are used in print and packaging , integrating large-area printable electronics can provide thin , conformable and lightweight circuitry using large-scale high-volume manufacturing processes at low cost . Printed circuits , RFID , displays , batteries and photovoltaics are all making steady progress .
This makes higher manufacturing cost less of a problem , and internet retailers can extend this with only commissioning the product after a sale has been completed online . Increasingly , supply chains are being pressured to provide greater flexibility , which inkjet textile printing is able to provide .
4 . 3D Printing
Asia is the biggest region for printed electronics , led by many leading electronics companies in Japan , South Korea , Taiwan and China . It is a lowcost manufacturing centre for many items including circuit boards , membrane switches and displays , while large printing companies use print as part of the large-scale production of many items .
Many large , innovative electronics companies making smartphones , TVs and displays , lighting and solar panels are using printing as part of the production process .
3 . Digitally printed textiles
The global printed textile market is huge , estimated at over 32 billion square metres of output annually . Printing with inkjet is becoming increasingly significant as fashion trends become ever more changeable . The adoption of inkjet textile printing is supporting ‘ fast fashion ’, with much quicker response times available to retailers .
The global 3D printing business is maturing , with some of the hype around the subject settling down . Various technologies have been proven to make functional parts and items in many industrial sectors cost effectively at low production runs . Users and service providers are exploring how business models may change with 3D print-on-demand systems closer to the point of use .
3D printing is a proven tool in industrial and commercial sectors , boosting design and rapid prototyping in many sectors and becoming a production tool for the complex moulds , tooling and dies used to form commodity metal and plastic parts .
Companies in the aviation , aerospace , automotive and medical sectors have all embraced the adoption of 3D print into industrial and commercial applications . 3D printing techniques are rapidly evolving toward broad acceptance and integration into the global manufacturing environment .
The value of the professional 3D printing market output will be R278 billion ($ 21.4 billion ) in 2022 as applications broaden , representing an annual growth rate of 12.3 % for the five-year period .
In the five years to 2022 , inkjet textile print and 3D are the fastest-growing market segments , further pushing inkjet as the most valuable printing process in use after it overtook screen printing during 2017 .
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www . AfricaPrint . com AFRICA PRINT JOURNAL FEBRUARY / MARCH 2018 PG 23