Kenya’s 3D Printing Community Making

Kenya’s 3D Printing Community Making Covid-19 Equipment

3D printing of high-end medical By Neha Wadekar equipment is on the rise in Africa. In Uganda, the Comprehensive

Rehabilitations Services

hospital worked with a consortium of Canadian organizations to trial

As Kenya prepares for a rise in novel coronavirus 3D printing of prosthetic limbs for amputees. (Covid-19) cases, 3D printing companies are Rather than being cast with plaster in the traditional way, this pilot digitally scanned and modeled the limbs before s e n d i n g them for production, w h i c h a p p e a r s to have p r o d u c e d better fi tting limbs at a quarter of the usual production time designing and printing personal protective Despite Kenya’s lead in digital technology on equipment (PPEs) and parts for medical devices the continent its nascent 3D printing industry is to address the expected medical equipment defi cit relatively small compared to 3D printing capabilities in the country. even compared to other African countries, such as

Ultra Red Technologies, along with a South Africa. coalition of other Kenyan-owned 3D printers, has Like other Sub Saharan Africa countries, Kenya’s borrowed from open source prototypes designed health system is at risk of being easily overwhelmed by 3DVerkstan, a company in Sweden, to print if the East African country saw a steep rise in plastic face shields to fi ll a gap before established coronavirus cases. As well as insuႈ cient medical plastic manufacturers can create a mould and staႇ there is a shortage of equipment often because begin producing quickly at aႇ ordable prices. many countries rely on imports or donations from

The Nairobi-based Ultra Red has also designed outside the country. While “just in time” 3D printing a 3D printed prototype for a ventilator adaptor can help Kenya fi ll some temporary gaps in its that could allow doctors to treat either two or four medical supplies defi cit, some caution against patients at one time if necessary, working with touting 3D printing as a perfect solution that can established medical equipment distributor, Nairobi override industrialization hurdles in the country. X-Ray Supplies, to administer testing on sets of www.msn.com/en-xl/africa/kenya/kenyas-3d-printingartifi cial lungs. community-making-covid-19-equipment/ar-BB12ISDT