Terms &
conditions.

About these terms

These terms govern additive manufacturing, rapid prototyping, 3D printing, 3D scanning, end-use parts, low-volume production, finishing, inserts, packaging, dispatch and related services supplied under the public name Vessey Additive Manufacturing by VESSEY Manufacturing (Pty) Limited (“Vessey”, “we”, “us”). The person or organisation placing the order is “you” or the “Customer”.

Vessey & Vessey (Pty) Limited, VESSEY Design and Engineering (Pty) Limited and VESSEY Manufacturing (Pty) Limited are separate legal entities. Only the entity named on the quotation, order confirmation or invoice is the contracting party. Shared branding, personnel, referrals or participation in an integrated project do not make one group company responsible for another’s work or obligations.

The agreement consists of, in descending order of priority: a signed supply agreement; an approved change order; our written order confirmation; the accepted quotation and approved production specification; an accepted purchase order; and these terms. A purchase-order term does not amend the agreement unless Vessey expressly accepts it in writing. You accept the agreement by signing, issuing a purchase order, paying an invoice or deposit, approving production or otherwise instructing us to proceed. Rights under the Consumer Protection Act or other applicable law that cannot be waived remain unaffected.

An integrated project may move between concept generation, design, engineering and manufacture. Each stage may require a separate scope, quotation, purchase order, payment and invoice, and must be paid into the bank account shown on that entity’s invoice. A referral between group companies does not transfer the original agreement.

Registered and physical address: 99 Conrad Drive, Blairgowrie, Johannesburg, South Africa, 2194. Contact: studio@vessey.co.za or +27 68 644-6449.

Quotes, estimates and order acceptance

The instant quote uses file geometry and selected settings to calculate an estimate. It is not an accepted production order and may be corrected where a file cannot be interpreted, a setting is incompatible, obvious pricing data is wrong or the part requires non-standard work. A website enquiry or uploaded file is a request for review, not acceptance.

An order forms when Vessey issues written confirmation after reviewing manufacturability, specification, quantity, price, payment status and capacity. We may decline unlawful, unsafe, rights-infringing or technically unsuitable work. The order confirmation records any changed price, assumption or lead time for approval before production.

A quotation is valid for the period stated on it. If silent, it is valid for fourteen calendar days, subject to material and supplier availability. VAT is applied at the prevailing lawful rate.

Customer files, data and authority

You must supply complete, readable and correctly scaled files in an accepted format, identify the controlling revision, and ensure the geometry is watertight or otherwise production-ready. You are responsible for checking units, orientation, quantity and duplicated parts before approval.

You warrant that you own or are authorised to use and manufacture from the uploaded files, branding and other content. Do not submit regulated personal information, malware, unlawful content, weapons or controlled items, counterfeit parts, or content that infringes another person’s rights. We may pause or refuse a job where lawful authority or safe use is unclear.

Unless separately commissioned, a manufacturability review is a production screening exercise, not a complete engineering, safety, regulatory or intellectual-property review. Repairs or modifications to customer geometry require approval and may be separately charged.

Production specification and tolerances

The approved production specification includes the controlling file and revision, quantity, material, colour, process, layer height or quality setting, infill or internal structure where applicable, orientation if critical, finish, delivery method and any expressly accepted dimensions or tolerances.

Additive manufacturing is not dimensionally exact. Shrinkage, warping, support contact, build orientation, machine capability and material behaviour affect results. You must identify every dimension, fit, interface, sealing surface and cosmetic face that is critical. A tolerance is binding only when recorded in the order confirmation. Unmarked dimensions are produced to reasonable process capability and are not guaranteed to drawing tolerances.

Vessey may select build orientation, support strategy, nesting and machine allocation unless these are specified as controlled requirements. Internal geometry, infill and support removal may differ from a visual model where needed to manufacture the part, but a change that materially affects the approved function or appearance requires approval.

Materials, colour and finish

Material names describe the selected feedstock family, not a guarantee of performance in every environment. Published supplier data is indicative unless a certified grade, batch traceability or test method is expressly included. The Customer must disclose temperature, chemical, UV, moisture, load, fatigue, fire, food-contact, medical, electrical, hygiene and outdoor requirements before ordering.

Colour, gloss, texture, translucency and layer appearance may vary between screens, samples, machines and material batches. FDM parts normally show layer lines, seams and support evidence; resin parts may show support witness marks and post-cure variation. Hand finishing is subject to reasonable craft variation. A cosmetic standard, sealed surface or colour match is binding only if agreed in the production specification.

We may propose an equivalent material only with your approval where substitution may materially affect function, appearance, certification or price.

Proofs, approvals, lead times and changes

Where Vessey provides a repaired file, orientation image, sample or first article for approval, production proceeds on the approved version. Approval confirms the recorded specification, not fitness for an undisclosed use. A change after approval may require a new quote, setup charge, scrap charge and revised lead time.

Lead times begin after order confirmation, cleared payment and receipt of all approvals and usable files. They are estimates unless expressly guaranteed. Production may be paused for technical clarification, equipment interruption, supplier delay, safety concern or events outside reasonable control. We will communicate a material delay and use reasonable efforts to offer a practical alternative.

Because each part is made to order, cancellation after material allocation, file preparation or production has started may incur the reasonable cost already committed. A custom order may not qualify for change-of-mind cancellation where the law permits that exclusion; this does not remove statutory rights for defective or misdescribed goods.

Price, VAT and payment

Prices are in South African rand. The quote shows whether VAT is included. Setup, finishing, specialist materials, inspection, packaging and delivery are included only when listed. Collection from the Johannesburg studio is free. Local and national delivery charges are those shown in the accepted quotation; the current instant-quote settings are R100 local and R150 national, and may be updated prospectively before an order is accepted.

Payment is due as stated in the quotation or invoice. Unless credit terms have been approved in writing, cleared payment is required before production. Ownership of physical goods passes only after full payment, but risk may pass earlier on delivery or collection as set out below. We may suspend production or delivery while a material amount is overdue.

Collection, delivery and risk

For collection, risk passes when the goods are handed to you or your nominated carrier. For delivery arranged by Vessey, risk passes when delivery is completed at the agreed address, subject to any non-excludable consumer right. You must provide an accurate, accessible address and authorised recipient.

Inspect outer packaging on receipt and record visible courier damage. Courier dates are estimates. If delivery fails because the address or recipient information is wrong, reasonable redelivery and storage costs may be charged. Uncollected goods may be stored for thirty days after notice; after that we may charge reasonable storage and, following further notice and subject to applicable law, dispose of goods that remain uncollected.

Inspection, non-conformance and remedies

Inspect the parts promptly against the approved production specification. Report an apparent shortage, transit damage or non-conformance to studio@vessey.co.za with the order number, affected quantity, photographs and a clear description. Reporting within five business days helps us preserve evidence and courier remedies, but does not shorten a statutory right that applies for longer.

We may request return of affected parts for assessment. A part is not defective merely because it shows a disclosed process characteristic or differs from an unapproved expectation. Where parts materially fail the approved specification, Vessey will apply the remedy required by law and may, where lawful and appropriate, repair, reprint, replace or refund the affected part.

Do not use a part after discovering a condition that may make it unsafe or cause further loss. Rework, installation or alteration by another party may prevent reliable assessment of the original condition.

End use, safety and compliance

You are responsible for the product design and for determining whether a manufactured part is suitable for its intended assembly, load, environment and market, except where VESSEY Manufacturing has separately accepted defined design-verification responsibility in writing. We may rely on files approved by you, VESSEY Design and Engineering or another authorised designer. Manufacture does not amount to engineering approval, and we are not responsible for underlying errors in geometry, function, tolerances, material selection, structural adequacy, intellectual-property clearance or intended use unless the relevant verification task is expressly within our scope.

No part is supplied as certified for medical, food-contact, lifting, pressure, fire, electrical, structural, aviation flight-critical, weapons or another safety-critical application unless an express written agreement includes the applicable validation and certification.

Before end use, the responsible party must complete appropriate inspection, testing, risk assessment, regulatory assessment and certification. Statements about a material or process are not a warranty of fitness for an undisclosed purpose. Vessey must be told of all safety-critical and regulated uses before accepting the order.

Intellectual property, confidentiality and production data

You retain ownership of customer files and grant Vessey a limited licence to review, repair where authorised, manufacture, inspect, deliver and retain necessary records for the order. Vessey retains its manufacturing methods, fixtures, process settings, know-how, templates and other Background IP unless a written agreement expressly transfers a paid-for item. A separately commissioned design or engineering deliverable is governed by the Vessey Design & Engineering terms and applicable proposal.

Each party must protect non-public technical and commercial information with reasonable care and use it only for the order. Confidentiality continues for five years after completion; trade secrets remain protected while legally confidential. You authorise proportionate sharing within the VESSEY Group only for quotations, feasibility checks, project coordination, performing requested services and maintaining necessary records. That sharing does not transfer ownership or change the contracting entity. We may use appropriately bound suppliers where needed to fulfil the order. Portfolio or publicity use of a confidential or unreleased part requires the Customer’s written approval.

Personal information is handled under the applicable Vessey privacy notice and POPIA. Production records may be retained for quality, tax, support and dispute purposes for the applicable lawful period.

Warranties, indemnities and liability

Vessey warrants that parts will materially conform to the approved production specification and that services will be performed with reasonable skill and care. No term excludes a warranty, remedy or liability that applicable law does not allow us to exclude.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, neither party is liable for indirect, incidental, special or consequential loss, including loss of profit, production, opportunity, data or goodwill. The total aggregate liability of VESSEY Manufacturing (Pty) Limited arising from an order is limited to the amount paid or payable to that entity for the affected order. No other VESSEY Group entity has joint, several or vicarious liability merely because of shared branding, a referral or participation in the wider project. This cap does not apply to fraud, wilful misconduct, liability that cannot lawfully be limited, or breach of confidentiality or intellectual-property rights.

You indemnify Vessey against third-party claims arising from rights-infringing files, unlawful or controlled items, incorrect customer specifications, undisclosed hazards, or use outside the disclosed purpose, except to the extent caused by Vessey’s breach or negligence.

General terms, disputes and notices

The parties are independent contractors. Vessey may use qualified and appropriately bound subcontractors and remains responsible for its contracted scope. Neither party may assign the agreement without consent, not to be unreasonably withheld, except as part of a genuine business transfer.

South African law governs. Senior representatives must first try in good faith to resolve a dispute. If unresolved after ten business days, either party may propose mediation in Johannesburg. Nothing prevents urgent court relief. Unless the parties separately agree to arbitration in writing, the courts with jurisdiction in Johannesburg may determine the dispute.

Formal notices must be sent to the addresses in the order confirmation and copied to studio@vessey.co.za. Routine approvals may be given by email. If a provision is unenforceable, it is adjusted or severed only to the extent necessary. Website updates apply prospectively and do not rewrite an accepted order.