KASP3R Blogs

The Jua Kali of Kenya are craftspeople who, through improvisation and ingenuity, keep the country running. The Jua Kali, is a group of versatile artisans is a vital and growing element of the Kenyan economy, but mass producers and cheap goods from Europe and Asia are threatening their way of life.

William Maluki who is the head of engineering at makerspace Gearbox in Nairobi, Kenya, is pioneering a new CNC-based pipe bender. Designed for manufacturers of metal frames—think wheelbarrows; steel-tube furniture; or seats for matatus, Kenya’s fleet of privately owned minibuses—this machine will allow makers to create identical frames in less time with precise and consistent output.

The philosophy is, if the process quality is secured, then the product quality is guaranteed. 

~ William Maluki

Earlier this year, Maluki spent four months designing and building his pipe-bending machine at the Autodesk Technology Center in San Francisco. There, he was able to take advantage of state-of-the-art prototyping equipment and collaborate with experienced staff and industry leaders through feedback sessions organized by the Technology Center and Autodesk Foundation management to hone and shape his pipe-bending prototype.

The machine, which will have CNC 3D-bending capability, takes in user parameters, including various design measurements, and then outputs a real-time graphical render of the pipe as it will be bent. Most pipe-bending machines today are largely hydraulic and difficult to maintain, but Maluki’s machine will be completely electric, which is important to fit into the Jua Kali business model.

Success for Maluki won’t come when he gets his first pipe-bending machine up and running. It won’t come even when he’s placed 100 machines in shops. Instead, he says, it will come when someone a lot like him—a creative thinker with a great idea—tries something unique and discovers an all-new way to use this machine Maluki has spent so many hours thinking about, creating, and building.