Ultra Red Technologies Builds 3D Printing Business in Nairobi Offering Design and Prototyping, Working Toward Clean Water

“We believe in the untapped potential of 3D printing.” – Mehul Shah

No matter how much you follow the progress of 3D printing and learn to expect the unexpected, it is inevitable that another innovation is going to emerge in the near future and not only grab your interest, but still surprise the heck out of you. The same goes for geography, as it seems soon 3D printing truly will have infiltrated virtually every part of the world.

Thanks to the ambition and enthusiasm of Mehul Shah, we know 3D printing technology is going strong in Nairobi, Kenya at his company, Ultra Red Technologies. Shah founded the contract 3D printing company for clients within his community (as well as others around the globe) so they would have access to 3D design and custom printing, along with the ability to create prototypes. So far, they have worked with clients in a wide range of industries. One of their first customers was a major plastics manufacturer who asked them to make a design for a cooler box and more.  And as the requests continued to come in, Shah quickly upgraded from a small desktop 3D printer to the Gigabot, a machine offering industrial capabilities and large-format 3D printing, created by the award-winning team at re:3D.

The Ultra Red team has worked on projects of all sizes for their clients, to include architectural models, medical and dental designs, tools and replacements, and a variety of prototypes. They have helped students working on product designs, electronics, medical devices such as splints, engineering projects, and other smaller, more eclectic projects, including a 3D printed camping canopy. Ultra Red has made it easy for their customers, as they can just upload a file to the website for a quote, and then move forward from there. They also offer ready-made designs for purchase too.

Both Ultra Red Technologies and their clients are enjoying all the well-known benefits of 3D printing, from the joy of being able to make a 3D design and then refine prototypes easily, to speed in production, affordability, and the ability to make items not possible previously. The Gigabot has helped launch a successful business for Ultra Red Technologies, bringing customers back as they enjoy the quality of the work, and the speed in which is it produced.

A 3D printed architectural model [Photo: Ultra Red Technologies]

“They have saved some of their customers up to $150,000 through product prototyping and cut down the timelines of product design projects from the norm of six months to a couple of weeks,” states re:3D in their case study. “For instance, Ultra Red Technologies has cut the build times of cardboard architectural models from six months to just two weeks. And the 3D printed models come with the bonus of added detail not found in other methods of creation.  An outstanding ‘wow factor’ like this makes customers keep coming back for more.”

Along with their successful business services for others, the team at Ultra Red has also been busy working on creating and 3D printing innovations of their own. The 3D printed canopy is a perfect example of this, and one of the new products they are selling under Ultra Red Outdoors.

Mehul and his team have also been working on a 3D printed device for solar-powered desalination. Their goal is to help assist Kenyans with clean drinking water, as so many millions currently do not have access to such a basic need. 3D printing is helping many inventive enterprises address this issue in Kenya and other areas.

Find out more about Ultra Red Technologies here and keep up with their work by following them on Instagram.

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