3D Printing in Nepal
Could localised 3D Printing technologies be transformative in a post-disaster context?
LOCATION | Nepal
SECTOR | Humanitarian Aid
TECH | 3D Printing
TIMELINE | January 2017 - October 2018
PIONEER | Gareth Weir
PARTNER | Field Ready
The Challenge
Nepal’s supply chain faces some of the greatest challenges in the world. Though Nepal is small, it is a mountainous, landlocked country with a long monsoon season, a limited road network, and is prone to national disasters. Shipping to Nepal can take upwards of six weeks and it is challenging to move shipments within the country. Nepal’s unemployment rate is currently at 11.4% and a shortage of technical skills reduces the opportunity of employment for many. The challenging supply chain issues make it difficult to grow local economies and attract external investments.
The Idea
3D Printing enables people to make and manufacture products locally, bypassing many of the obstacles present in the supply chain. Recent advances have made 3D Printing technology more accessible and have enabled small-scale manufacturing to occur in the most remote areas. This pilot explored whether it is feasible to grow and organise Nepal’s nascent 3D printing sector to create jobs and improve the supply of locally-produced goods.
The Scaling Journey
What we learned
3D printing can fill an important niche in humanitarian situations where supply chains are incomplete or extremely inefficient by creating important products quickly and affordably. A 3D printing operation can be set up quickly in the field and technical skills can be passed to local stakeholders relatively easily.
Fab Labs for 3D printing, and other high tech areas designed for local capacity building, have a number of benefits: they enable community members to build skills and undertake research, offer the opportunity to make valuable products, and create the opportunity for rapid prototyping, iterative design processes, and joint research with external partners.
3DP in the Nepalese context catalysed positive social impact in the health and economic sectors. In health, 3DP fixed medical items and produced spare parts in rural health posts, leading to faster and more reliable care. In the economic sector, over 150 new organisations explored 3D printing through the pilot’s training and business engagement activities.
Further advances in 3DP technology, such as reliability, range of materials used and speed of production, are needed before the technology can be applied in more diverse use cases and larger scale manufacturing.
All photos on this page were provided by the pilot’s implementing partner, Field Ready. Read more
Read notes from Kathmandu and the initial prototyping of the 3D Printing Business Model — Notes from the field
Read the initial pilot announcement — Localisation of Production with 3D Printing & Digital Platforms in Nepal
Learn how the pilot team navigated skills gaps in developing the 3D Printing sector in Nepal — Frontier Tech Talks