The growing need for imported vehicles, often not accompanied by the country’s manufacturing industry, was the source of inspiration for Isac Miguel, 22, to opt for 3D printing and assembly of vehicle parts.
This technology allows to design by means of a computer and print physical objects in miniatures that are later executed in large dimension projects. He explained, as a motivating example, the fact that many companies, especially those in public transport, are registering breakdowns that culminate in the paralysis of circulating means, all because there are no spare parts in the domestic market.
It was with this reality in mind that Isac Miguel designed his project and submitted it to the competition for funding by the National Research Fund (FNI).
The approval took place in 2019, and in the following year, 2020, he moved on to the auscultation phase and all the procedures that led to the funding and acquisition of equipment. However, as Miguel explained, the implementation took time due to limitations imposed by Covid-19
In terms of steps taken in this field, he mentioned that a class of 10 young people is currently being trained in 3D printing different products ranging from toys to utility materials.
The technology also has application in the health field, where it is possible to manufacture and print physical prostheses, with a wide application in medicine
“With this project we have already trained the first class of 10 students for six months, three of which were dedicated to the transmission of theoretical knowledge and the remaining three for practical classes. But we concluded that it was possible to reduce the duration of the training by three months.
Isac Miguel said that in the training framed in the technical education a second class is planned to be created at the Zambezi University (UniZambeze).
About the application of this technology in several branches of knowledge, Miguel gives the example of architecture, where with a 3D printer it is possible to make a miniature house, commonly known as a mockup, to be used as a prototype in the construction of large works.
The technology also has application in the health field, where it is possible to manufacture and print physical prostheses, with a wide application in medicine.
Still in this field, Isac Miguel speaks of contacts at an advanced stage with the health authorities in Sofala for the design of useful items in the fight against Covid-19.
“We plan, with this technology, to produce visors, fixed mask-holders, because we have noticed that people often resort to incorrect habits of conservation of masks, putting them in the pocket or even on the table. We are also betting on ear protectors to avoid the discomfort caused by some masks, whose elastic bands are supported by the ear pinna,” he said. For the realization of this and other initiatives in the health field, he says that a memorandum of understanding has already been signed with the Provincial Health Department.
Isac Miguel was born in Pemba, city that he left at the age of seven when he moved to Beira, in Sofala, where he did his studies from primary school to university. Having completed his computer engineering degree, he is now a master’s student in information systems.
Isac Miguel’s entry for this project is framed in the international initiative Fablab (Fabrication Laboratory), something like producing in a laboratory, and the bet is to have, in the future, a Fablab-Mozambique.
About the history of this technology in the country, Miguel said he has done research in some provinces of the country and never found a similar idea, leading him to conclude that this may be a pioneering initiative.
