Jan 26, 2017 | By Tess
One of the most compelling things about 3D printing technology is its ability to be deployed and used in almost any setting. From high-tech university labs to rural and remote regions, we’ve seen 3D printers being used by a wide range of people for an amazingly diverse range of purposes. Recently, 3D printing technologies even made it to a rural region of Tanzania, where locals were inspired by 3D printing's ability to make useful tools, utensils, and objects on the fly.
Kuunda 3D, a 3D printing company based in Dar es Salaam that seeks to make 3D printing more widespread across East Africa, recently went on the road with an Ultimaker 2 Go 3D printer to introduce additive manufacturing to towns and regions that have not yet seen the technology. Specifically, the team from Kuunda 3D, which included co-founder Elizabeth Rogers and Marketer/Translator/ Photographer/Driver Kayvan Somani, was headed to rural Tanzania.
The goals of the 3D printing road trip, which took place in November 2016, were to 1) test the ability of a desktop 3D printer in rural conditions with inconstant electricity and no computers, 2) to see how best to approach teaching 3D printing to villagers with little technological experience, and 3) to learn what types of 3D prints could benefit people in their daily lives.
The first stop on the trip was at TPC Limited, one of the largest sugar estates in Tanzania. There, the Kuunda 3D team was welcomed by members of TPAA, a Parents Against AIDS non-profit organization. The conditions upon their arrival were not optimal for 3D printing, as there was no electricity because of maintenance on the power plant. Despite the setback, however, the team made their demonstration, explained how 3D printing works, and showed the crowd some sample 3D prints.
Of course, explaining 3D printing without a working 3D printer proved to be quite difficult, so the team was happy when the power was restored and they could properly demonstrate how their Ultimaker 3D printer worked. As the startup said, “Our experience teaching in Dar taught us that it’s best to show the printer in action so we just started printing.” Their demonstration print was a small but handy sewing measuring tool that took only 15 minutes to make.
Once the TPC demo was complete, the Kuunda 3D team headed to Kahe Town for their afternoon session with a group of Mt. Kilimanjaro porters and motorcycle mechanics. There, the electricity was also out, so the group improvised and connected the 3D printer to a local’s solar panel system. According to the 3D printing company, the solar panels were used to power lights and a television during power outages, which have roughly the same power consumption as the Ultimaker 2 Go 3D printer. Ultimately, they were able to demonstrate a 15-minute print using power from the solar panel. “We are pretty sure this was groundbreaking in the world of technology. Just think, we ran a 3D printer powered by a solar panel in rural Africa,” said the company.
In addition to showing rural villagers how a 3D printer works, the Kuunda 3D team also collected a list of useful items that could be 3D printed. These included kitchen utensils, buttons, light switches, bag locks, clothes pegs, spare parts for bikes and motorcycles, and more. Kuunda 3D says they will design and 3D print some of these ideas at their office in Dar es Salaam and have them sent back to the village for testing.
“3D printing has the potential to change lives in even the most remote communities,” said the company of their trip. “Everyone that participated in the demonstrations was impressed by the technology and excited about the potential for their community.” Now that the Kuunda 3D team has returned from their road trip, they are looking for an organization or individual who can donate a 3D printer to the TPAA organization in Tanzania so that they can continue to learn about the technology and use it to their benefit.
Images: Kuunda 3D
Posted in 3D Printing Technology
Maybe you also like:
- T-Bone Cape motion control board launches on Indiegogo
- New extruder could lower costs of 3D printing cellular structures for drug testing
- New Ninja Printer Plate for consumer 3D printing
- mUVe3D releases improved Marlin firmware for all 3D printers
- Zecotek plans HD 3D display for 3D printers
- Add a smart LCD controller to your Robo3D printer
- Maker Kase: a handy cabinet for 3D printers
- Heated bed for ABS printing with the Printrbot Simple XL
- Next gen all metal 3D printer extruder from Micron
- Pico all-metal hotend 100% funded in 48 hours, B3 announces Stretch Goal
- Create it REAL announces first 3D printing Real Time Processor
- A larger and more powerful 3D printer extruder on Kickstarter
3Ders.org provides the latest news about 3D printing technology and 3D printers. We are now seven years old and have around 1.5 million unique visitors per month.
