I visited a friend yesterday at Strathmore University IoT lab and they had just used a 3d printer to make a bolt and nut (pictured). That got me thinking about the applications of 3d printing in Kenya and I wanted to do research about it. In other countries and industries, 3d printing is key to the progression of certain sectors such as manufacturing, food, mechanics, and even medicine. For example in medicine 3d printing is being used for bone replacement prototyping and development. In the mechanical and motor industry, it can be used to quickly print out spare parts for vehicles that are hard to find.

In Kenya however, a lot of the work I have seen from the little research I have done has to do with product design, stress testing, and computer-aided engineering. The bolt and nut are small as they are talking about 4 hours or more to print and if there is a disruption in power supply the product will get damaged and has to be restarted. The filament for printing is also quite expensive and as far as I know, there is only one authorized dealer in Kenya. This makes me wonder about the practicality and sustainability of these kinds of projects in Kenya.

I see the potential for 3d printing especially in the mechanical and food industries as well as art and design for the printing of canvases. I wonder if the 3d printing world is doing as well it was hyped and if it will get better.

My research continues…