George Campbell School of Technology graduate, Tyla Brassey, has been an innovative force in the industrial design space. As a brave 'start-up' designer, he has already made inroads in the development and novel application of 3D print technology. His passion for engineering and graphic design was fuelled as a young student. As Tyla worked his way through a rigorous electrical and civil engineering curriculum, he veered toward 'fitting and machining'. Born with a brain for mechanics and automation, he built his own 3D print machine at age fourteen. Inspired by a school project that required him to design and develop a 'self-replicating' printer, Tyla immediately saw the unending potential of 3D print technology.
He has been building his range of machines ever since, with a focus on the automotive industry.
Under his brand name, 3D Ignition, Tyla prints small and intricate car parts that are difficult to replace or acquire locally. He services both private clients and national dealerships and has created a 'product need' within this unusual and niche market. To stretch his creative legs he also designs and produces, fan art and custom objects such as masks, cosplay gear, figurines and toys. Tyla has opened his own business in Hillcrest, Durban, but also has a studio at Redbrick Artspace in Johannesburg (https://www.lucellepillayart.co.za/redbrick-artspace-johannesburg). He has successfully grown his business by exhibiting an unrelenting work ethic and delivering quality customer service.
Keeping up to date with advancements in 3D print technology, Tyla states that the physical mechanism of printers has peaked in terms of speed and reliability. The functionality and user experience have also improved radically since the early models. He predicts that huge strides will be made in the software that prompts the machinery. AI integration will streamline the complexities and provide more intuitive troubleshooting. This will simplify the user experience and open more diverse applications. One such application is multi-colour printing, where filament streams are controlled to stop and start within a single print run. This allows parts of the object to be printed in varying colours, which is quite a recent advancement. Tyla envisions that the future of 3D printing will facilitate multiple materials, that will provide rigidity, flexibility and dissolvability. Hardcore parts with rubber sheaths will be able to be printed consecutively, with removable support structures being water-soluble. These will dissolve leaving only the usable multi-layered printed object.
Tyla states that when 3D printing is made more accessible it could benefit every sector, including engineers, doctors, architects, scientists, teachers, agriculturalists, artists, students, and designers. The future is a culture of DIY (design it yourself) thinking, in which anything you can conceive can be made a reality with the press of a button. Tyla admits that he prefers the building of machines to the actual printing process. He explains there is a deep satisfaction in assembling machinery that produces fluid motion with purpose. When electrical circuitry integrates seamlessly with mechanics, the union is beautifully harmonious. Always governed by Newton's third law (objects in motion will remain in motion unless acted upon by a met force), he emphasizes the physical limitations of machine speeds. Comparative to digital 2D printing, 3D printing is still quite a slow process, however, its temporal tactility can be enjoyed in a world obsessed with 'instant gratification'. A well-constructed 3D print is worth the wait and the process can be quite mesmeric to watch.
If given the opportunity to further his studies, Tyla would love to explore the field of astrophysics, as this has always been his boyhood dream. "I am in awe of the matter and processes that form our universe, including stars, celestial bodies, planets and galaxies." He quickly grounds himself by saying that a more realistic aspiration would be to save up enough capital to launch a 3D Print Farm. This would be a space that houses between 10 to 20 state-of-the-art printers powered by advanced software. Customers would range from laypeople to designers, who could hire a printer per hour. Technical and design support would also be available should they require it. "I truly believe that accessibility to this technology can change our world and how we live in it". Tyla is inspired by the pioneers who developed 3D print technology that encouraged open-access tech towards a "Community of Makers". He therefore lives by the ideology of "people before profit" and would like to build this sentiment into his brand DNA.
It was Tyla's intelligence, enthusiasm and ability to problem-solve that made him an obvious choice to assist with the installation of my most recent exhibition, Afterisms: Excentric Data-Fluid Narratives (https://www.lucellepillayart.co.za/afterisms-journeys) hosted at the Origins Centre. He spent two weeks designing, printing and installing aspects relating to the construction of the physical artwork, suspension mechanisms and projector housing. His invaluable commitment and attention to detail contributed greatly to the success of this project. He may not be an astrophysicist yet, but Tyla Brassey's star is definitely on the rise. Keep watching this space!
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