Hi everyone, I hope all is well on the home front! Last week was a lot of fun! I made some strong headway on my project at Medevice, even though it was a short week, and had an even more exciting weekend in Diani. First, I have optimized and printed the second of my two designs—ahead of optimizing my first—and now have it ready to go for validation and testing. It is my filter attachment that works to separate the thick, large particles that are present when performing high-intensity orthopedic surgery. It was designed with reusability in mind to minimize the fiscal impact on the hospitals and prioritize implementation and use during surgery to reduce blood loss, surgery time, and exhaustion of materials. I had to reiterate the need to integrate a method for cleaning the filter’s internals, as it was previously a closed system that wouldn’t allow for easy cleaning/autoclaving. I added a cap with a bayonet locking mechanism after contemplating a threaded screw (which would have too small of thread to have accurate print with the FDMs high tolerance) and a plug (which would require the procurement of proper-sized rubber gaskets which isn’t feasible in the closing period of my internship in this environment). I also did some adjusting to the infill percentage, upping it from 20% to 50%, to ensure strong parts with functional threads, and minimal to no gaps for leakage. 100% infill isn’t required for optimization of non-load-bearing parts. I am still working on finding a way to print the split-tip suction handle (my first design) in 2 parts that can be joined by dowels, to not have to split the upper tubing along its long axis and add more margin for vacuum loss. Changing the angle at which supports are constructed from 45 degrees down to 15 degrees, the supports are more robust. I thought this would improve the support for the curved geometry upper tubing, but I am now dealing with the stringing phenomenon, which is pulling the build down and halting the print. I will most likely move on to resin printing at Kenyatta University, which will produce a stronger, more precise print. That way, I won’t have to worry about internal supports, the print falling over, or gaps in the filament layers compromising suction. When exploring other prototyping methods, moulding and casting came up. Ideally, this would have been a very good method for scaling and reproducing my prototype based on a 3D print, but sourcing the materials wasn’t cost-effective for the company for this short-term internship period. It would have been a lot of purchasing for no guarantee that the company would even use these resources again, especially when access to a more than adequate method (resin printing) is available to me. Ideally, printing resin printing will get done this week, and testing can take place in a wet lab at Kenyatta University to get results.

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The weekend excursion had to be my favorite so far. We got up, yet again, bright and early to board our 8am train to Mombasa, an old coastal city in Kenya. It was about 6 hours on our way there in the scorching sun-laden economy cabin, with unfortunately vertical seats. We spent another hour in the car trekking to Diani beach, but we finally made it to our villa. We were met with sunshine, some kittens, and some delicious lunch. We couldn’t beat the price for what we got: train tickets, a driver, lodging, and 3 meals home-cooked a day for less than $150. I would do it again and again, even if the showers were cold. The sand was white, the water was blue, and the coconuts were plenty. It was such an exciting and relaxing trip, watching the tide change more drastically than any beach I’ve ever experienced. From 10am to 4pm, the water came up the beach about 60 feet, and where we were wading ankle deep in placid water in the morning, we were body surfing in the water that was chest high and powerful. It was a great experience swimming in the Indian Ocean for the first time, fending off the relentless beach bracelet vendors. We rented a chair at a resort on the beach and had a wonderful time bouncing between lounging and sharing a pair of goggles to explore the reefs. We got to explore the nightlife and peel our eyes open a few hours later to see the sunrise on the beach, before dipping in the pool one last time and getting on our way back to Nairobi. Another grueling 7 hours vertical transit at a strict 90 degrees. We spent another hour trying to fight through Nairobi construction traffic, leading us to a grand total of 18 hours of travel in 62 hours. Eventful stuff! Luckily, all went swimmingly, and we had a great little getaway. I’d do it all again, so long as my seat reclines! Ciao for now! We’re inside our last month abroad ahhhh!!

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