Eyes the further application of 3D printed components within its products.

“My Dad, Michel Weeks, started the business in his garage just over 30 years ago. At the time he employed two other people and the son of one of those people works for us now. Actually, a few family members that have worked at ElectroFlame over the years have had other family members join the business, so you could definitely say that this is a family business in more ways than one.”

“Everything we sell we design ourselves. This includes any moulds that are manufactured; however, we don’t actually machine all these components ourselves and some of that work is outsourced to machine shops that we have built relationships with over the years. We make use of aluminium castings for some of our products and over time, we have found that these generally suit our needs better,” says Thomas Weeks, and industrial engineer by trade.

“The factory on this plot as it is today is where we actually used to live before we began expanding it in various ways as the business grew and we relocated the business here. Ironically, I have actually moved back into the original cottage where I grew up, but now with my wife and a few modern changes, and at least the commute to work isn’t that bad.”

ElectroFlame’s Unilight, which is a portable light, uses a high quality 3D print material for production

“Although the business has always been a part of my life, I joined the business properly about five years ago. My Dad had already been dabbling around with the 3D printing side of the business but back then the machines were quite small, and when I say what they were able to do was very basic, it was very basic. The technology has come a really long way since then and it is also much more affordable now to purchase a 3D printer.”

“With that first printer that we purchased, we really just used to produce basic housings for potting electronics and its capacity was very limited. As we began to acquire the new printers, we were able to expand our capabilities because the new machines came with advantages like bigger bed bases and better printing capabilities using different materials.”

Neptune Floodlight castings during inspection process

“Over time, these housings for potting electronics with 3D printed components has improved as a result and that’s when we actually began experimenting with the printing of various components contained within our products for some of our products. Where we have begun to really realise the benefits of 3D printing technology is from these smaller components – instead of investing a huge amount of money into manufacturing moulds for injection moulding purposes of these components that are often only relatively small production runs, we can print them. The other factor here is that these injection moulding companies are not after low volume runs of high mix components – they want bigger production runs of components.”

“This has also led to us experimenting quite heavily with the different types of 3D printing materials like ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) and PLA, or Polylactic Acid filament. Both of those materials are cost-effective but they lack some more important properties applicable to our needs and our industry such as durability and strength. We are actually importing a specific material through 3D Printing Solutions at the moment.”

“And so this side of the business continued to grow as we became more confident in our designs and various components that we were printing to the point where we were getting behind on capacity. This facilitated the purchase of a second and third machine, and now we have five 3D printers. All of these machines have been supplied by 3D Printing Solutions.”

Machined components being inspected that are used for mining applications

“Two of these printers are production run printers and they run 24/7. The build plates, or print beds as they are known, are setup to be automatically changed between component runs and this allows us to run the machine overnight and through weekends. Again, the kind of versatility that this offers us in terms of the amount of different components that we can print is a real advantage to us. One of the key drawdowns about this technology though is the amount of time that it can take to print some of the components. Obviously though, as the technology continues to improve, these sorts of issues will improve and that includes aspects like print quality too.”

“Ultimately, we would like to expand the 3D printing side of the business even more with resin printers. These types of printers bring with them a range of increased versatility in terms of materials that can be used for printing and the applications they are able to deliver on too.”

“Again, where we see an advantage here is with the manufacture of bigger moulds. We don’t need to invest that kind of money into traditional moulds when we can just print the component ourselves. So, we’d like to take it a step further from printing smaller components to bigger ones such as for our flood lights. Making mistakes on any mould is costly so you can imagine the costs involved with making mistakes on bigger moulds. Whereas with 3D printing you can just refine that product through design as you go.”

One of ElectroFlame’s production Tiertime 3D printers changing prints automatically

“Our R&D side of the business – where my dad is still very heavily involved – is always hard at work on this, printing different iterations of components and they can easily figure out where there are limitations in terms of design and they are able to rectify this accordingly.”

“Another advantage of having a bigger printer would be that instead of having to print a number of smaller components and then assemble them afterwards, now you can print an entire, bigger component that doesn’t require that kind of assembly.”

“We largely supply our components and products into what is known as the Ex industry, or explosion proof industry. These include products for use both above ground and below ground. Both have very different specifications and limitations in terms of what materials can be used, what different levels of protection are required, often directly dictated by the type of hazard that could be found in a particular environment.”

ElectroFlame’s 3D printing room features 5 Tiertime 3D printers

“What is essential to both our below and above ground products though is that should there be a failure with our equipment, that this equipment then doesn’t go on to cause a fire. So, for example, in a coal mine – a big industry into which we supply – the biggest hazard is the methane combined with coal dust. So, if there is a spark, you could have a big problem.”

“Our products are not designed to be completely contained – they are designed to minimise any flames that could escape the product should there be an explosion / electrical type fire within the component. In other words, should something happen, our products are designed to contain and cool down any resultant heat or flame enough before it escapes the product or component that could cause further ignition and a resultant fire in the environment in which that product or component is being used.”

“Below ground you really want to minimise anything escaping from the product or component and igniting the surrounding environment, and above ground you really want to minimise any gases being able to reach into the actual product or component.”

A new prototype ready to be loaded onto one of the Tiertime 3D printers

ElectroFlame will in some instances use special types of nylon and different material coatings for some of their products because plastic in itself can cause its own potential fire hazards in static electricity – the imbalance of electric charges on a material’s surface – causing it to accumulate a charge that could discharge in the form of sparks.

“I wouldn’t say that our product range is broad – we manufacture about 20 different products – but within this range, we produce a large number of different variants of this core range.”

These products generally all fall into the category of being explosion-proof and designed for hazardous environments. Among these, the Astralite MK3 is a compact, explosion proof head light used underground. The company also manufactures stop/start stations for machine control, as well as gate switches used in access and safety systems.

ElectroFlame’s explosion proof siren designed for mining applications

Resinlite timing light units provide robust lighting during the underground resin mixing process. ElectroFlame also produces Ex-rated pushbuttons, used in control circuits where explosion protection is required. Additional offerings include block chutes, which are typically employed in mechanical and emergency stop applications; RLI flashers, which serve as red light indicators in warning and signalling systems; and emergency stop stations designed for immediate shutdown of machinery in case of an incident.

In the surface and general industrial product category, ElectroFlame manufactures both Ex-rated and non-Ex lighting and power distribution equipment. The Saturn range includes heavy-duty lighting units intended for fixed installation. Portable Unilite products are designed for mobile lighting applications across industrial sites. Diotube Ex is a tube-style light fitting suitable for hazardous areas, and the company’s induction bulkhead lights offer an energy-efficient solution for sealed environments.

Nothing is possible at ElectroFlame without its dedicated staff who work tirelessly to ensure that quality products are produced

Modulite, which are ElectroFlame’s Zone 1 floodlight units provide light in extremely hazardous areas where Zone 2 fittings like the Saturn floodlight would not be suitable. Levellite products are used where adjustable lighting is required. The company also produces multi-way extensions in two-, three-, and four-way configurations, suitable for explosion-safe power distribution. Substation lights are included in the range for electrical infrastructure applications, while the Neptune range comprises flood or area lighting for broad coverage.

Some of the components 3D printed by ElectroFlame include resin potting housings, cable clamps, connector trays, jigs, brackets, R&D components, handles and end caps.

Other products include P23 LED tube fittings in durable housings, pilot lights used as visual indicators in control systems, and mechanical limit switches for position control and interlocking functions.

This combination of underground and surface product lines positions ElectroFlame as a leading supplier of both safety-critical and utility equipment across various industrial sectors.

For more information contact ElectroFlame on TEL: +2711 805 5955 or visit https://www.electroflame.co.za