EXCLUSIVE: Lonmin cracks 3D platinum printing, opening new markets
The company has developed a powdered form of platinum for making jewellery and industrial gadgets
11 June 2019 - 05:10
In a windowless room in the most secure part of Lonmin’s precious-metals refinery is a machine about the size of a microwave oven. While small and ordinary looking, it is the foundation of what could be a significant breakthrough in the use of platinum group metals.
The “oven”, which is actually a specially configured laser-based 3-D printing machine, is the culmination of three years of work at Lonmin to develop the high-purity platinum powder and the correct settings of the machine to print or make objects out of platinum. Lonmin is a forerunnner in the race to crack open the technology...
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