Pushing forward 3D printing in Nepal
As part of the Frontier Technologies Livestreaming programme, Field Ready and DFID Nepal have been testing the hypothesis that;
‘The 3D printing sector in Nepal is currently underdeveloped as an industry, but increased organisation, decreased costs and better customer engagement could significantly develop the sector to the point where regular-use items are ordered from suppliers in the sector as standard.’
We, at Field Ready, support the 3D printing sector’s development not simply because of the potential that 3D printing represents to manufacturing and livelihoods at the forefront of the fourth industrial revolution, but also because the reality of a decentralised, flexible and highly localised manufacturing capacity could be transformative in a post-disaster context. Field Ready envisions a future where humanitarian aid is sourced from as close as possible to the place of need and that contracting local manufacturing capacity is not a resource drain to customers. Field Ready and DFID Nepal aim to reach a point where the 3D printing sector in Nepal is capable of supplying to humanitarian aid agencies post-disaster.
The maker mapping that Field Ready undertook at the beginning of 2017 identified 19 diverse organisations working with 3D design and 3D printing in Nepal. They wanted a central body to support and represent them. This sprint started the process of registration for a 3D printing association, which will be named the ‘Forum for Digital Manufacturing’ (changed from Forum for Additive Manufacturing). Field Ready will continue to support the Forum to run activities focused on stakeholder engagement, product design and development support, upskilling and training. Alongside this we have developed a media and outreach strategy which the members of the Forum will implement.
Nine of the 16 active sector organisations were involved in starting, and decision making for, the Forum for Digital Manufacturing, its legal registration process and a business plan for the path forward. Four new actors and 3D printing machines were identified while contacting member organisations and a second phase of mapping will start in February 2018. We believe that increased internal sector-wide engagement plus external coordinated public relations on behalf of the sector will improve cooperation and visibility of the sector, thus making it more viable for demand-side stakeholders to procure from.
To this end, as part of the FTL programme, Field Ready have spent time developing an MVP code for the MakerNet. MakerNet combines a network of small-scale manufacturers (3D printers) with smart contracting based on blockchain technology and automated online cryptocurrency payment systems (Ethereum, in this case), to enable customers to procure multiple items from a network with the same ease and costs that they would experience procuring from a single supplier.
The next sprint will continue to support the members of the association and continue to implement the media strategy to increase visibility of members and eventually develop production leads for members of the association in accordance with members’ needs and wishes.
Alongside developing the representative body of the 3D printing sector, Field Ready has pioneered the production of 3D printer filament in Nepal. This is the first time that filament has been produced in Nepal and we have experimented with both virgin ABS and PLA plastic pellets and post-production waste, collected from old or failed 3D prints. Developing recycled, economically and environmentally sustainable filament production is a priority for Field Ready. The idea is to hand the production over to the Forum for Digital Manufacturing eventually.
However, filament production proved more complex than we first imagined. The off-the-shelf filament extruder we used could not produce consistent, commercial standard filament. Testing was beset with challenges around consistency and size tolerances (+/- 0.05mm). The test programme and modifications made to the machine successfully produced test batches to a sufficient standard to print, however handing over the machine to the Forum will not be possible without further testing and development work. After distributing test batches of filament user feedback and cost data was gathered for the indicative business case. Savings in cost to end-users of up to 75% seem highly likely, bringing average cost of filament in Nepal down from $40 to $10–15. Reducing the raw material cost to an industry of 75% could be transformative.
2018 will see Field Ready further developing filament production, new designs, supporting the Forum for Digital Manufacturing, developing the MakerNet distributed manufacturing system, and engaging potential customers in the humanitarian aid sector. This looks like being a breakthrough year for 3D printing in Nepal. Stay tuned to learn more.
���U�
