#FreshTech: Ricoh brings Leapfrog 3D printers to SA

“Students and professionals who need to prototype products and components can make immediate commercial use of the 3D printer which has one of the largest bay volumes on the market at 14 litres, allowing structures 30cm high, the fastest speed available in the market at 400mm per second, and the ability to simultaneously produce in two colours,” says Jacques van Wyk, COO of Ricoh SA.

Leapfrog’s Creatr HS is an award-winning device and the local support from Ricoh extends an international agreement Ricoh has with Leapfrog. Customers will, consequently, be able to add 3D printers to existing Ricoh imaging print service contracts.

The R50,000 bundle offered direct from Ricoh SA or any of its nationwide authorised distributors includes all equipment and consumables necessary to begin printing, from the printer itself to four filaments of consumable material, flash drives, and the software to create and convert models, which are also downloadable from the web.

The move into 3D printing is a natural evolution for Ricoh which already has has an established 3D print head development and manufacturing operation, acting as an OEM for a number of 3D printer manufacturers. It also has a number of technologies in prototyping and moulding, in addition to its experience utilising 3D printers for its own product design processes over the past 20 years.