Normally, when anyone thinks of a production factory or industry, visuals of a loud, rusty, and labor-intensive manufacturing space comes to mind. However, there is one space in Kathmandu, where smart and digital manufacturing takes place. This place has top-level high-tech machines for advanced production purposes. Digi Factory is a special place at Sanokhokana of Lalitpur where these things happen. There are many automated modern production technologies available at Digi Factory that involve less or no human intervention. The unique factory was inaugurated on October 4th of 2021.
Digi Factory Background
Digi Factory is a joint collaboration of Zener Technologies Pvt. Ltd. and Pro Minds Holding. Pro Minds is a company in the field of CAD, IT, Electromechanical, and 3D printing services. Zener Technologies also is a popular company in the 3D printing market of Nepal. They sell 3D printers, filaments, and also provide training. Mr. Ram Chandra Thapa, who is an engineer by qualification is the co-founder of Zener Technologies. He is also the co-founder and technology director of Digi Factory.
Also Read: Tiertime UP 3D Printer Price in Nepal
The company actually has a background of similar manufacturing work in the past. They have designed, produced, and distributed multiple items with the application of these technology tools. The items include such as face shields, protective goggles, front desk shields, and dispensers. This group has also received project support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in 2018. They have received the UK AID COVIDaction global award for their work in the year 2020/021.
Digi Factory is a digital manufacturing hub for advanced manufacturing. According to Engineer Thapa, the company uses its skill, tool, and resources to produce market-based products with commercial value. Moreover, they also use their CSR to design and develop innovations to serve people with disabilities in Nepal. He says that “Digital technologies like such could mean pivotal in driving the modern industrial revolution in a nation like Nepal.” Mr. Thapa also urges interested Nepali industries, enterprises, and innovators to visit Digi Factory to gain technology exposure and collaborate to find its innovative uses to transform product development in Nepal.
Advanced Machinaries Portfolio
Digi Factory is a place where quick manufacturing of industrial concepts can take place. Anyone who thrives on new product development and manufacturing can go into production swiftly. People can quickly transition through the computer-aided design (CAD) process to rapid production. In order to provide an environment and infrastructure for all this, Digi Factory is equipped with multiple advanced machineries. They have modern cutting edge equipment such as 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC plasma cutters, 3D scanners, and a lot of other tools. All of these are very necessary for advanced manufacturing.
3D Printers
3D Printers are modern printing machines that are capable of printing or producing objects in three dimensions. Usually, our paper printers just lay or spray ink on paper. These can be taken as 2D printing because the ink is laid on two dimensions only. However 3D printers can print in all three dimensions. This means the results get depth as well. It is a game changing technology and it has good roots in the manufacturing industry. Both Zener Technologies and Pro Mech Minds are deep into this market from start. So they are providing 3D printing service at Digi Factory as well.
Modern 3D printers can mainly produce objects with plastic, rubber, and resin. These are some common use cases. However advanced printers can also make objects using steel and concrete. 3D printers are a tool for rapid prototyping and manufacturing. They can make a tiny object such as a crown for a dental model to a large size sculpture or even a house. These productions also happen with precision and high details in small time.
Digi Factory has a 3D printing service at their location. People can bring their design files and do the printing. The company also helps people with ideas and vision to make computer design and CAD files for the manufacturing process.
3D Scanner
It is a technology that helps to take three-dimensional spatial data of any object. A 3D scanner is an advanced technology that uses physics of light, depth sensing, and image processing to capture details of any object. 3D scanning technology is used to produce digital designs from existing objects. Moreover, it is often used for reverse engineering applications.
3D scanning has been used in Nepal to digitize complex engineering, health, art, and craft products. The details are usually scanned for archiving and future purposes. The 3D scans are also used for study purposes and to reproduce the objects. 3D printing technology and other digital manufacturing processes like CNC carving are popular choices for rescaling and reproduction. Therefore Digi Factory also offers 3D scanning service to enthusiasts and people. People can bring objects for scanning and get its digital file. The file can later be used for reproduction and rescaling.
Laser Cutter
There are different types of cutters in the manufacturing industry. Usually, we all see mechanical cutters with blades and motors. However, the laser is also a technology that is used for cutting. Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation (Laser) is a very popular term in physics. It is popular because of its use in many things. Laser is used in the manufacturing process in both cutting and welding. They are very powerful, precise, and efficient.
Digi Factory also has a laser cutter that uses laser light from a CO2 source. It can engrave or cut CAD profiles in acrylic, MDF, wood, leather, synthetic fiber, and thin non-reflective sheet materials. Laser technology is also useful in making displays in the advertisement industry. This helps to increase business visibility and attraction. Laser cutters can also make digital art and craft by making marking on wood or soft material. The cutters can provide precise and complex cuts for different tasks.
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CNC Plasma Cutter
Computer Numerical Control (CNC) is an automatic technology to control tools using computers. CNC technology is used with cutters, printers, lasers, drills, lathes, and many other types of equipment. Plasma is actually a fundamental state of matter. It actually basically consists of gas of ions. Plasma cutters are special cutters that use a mix of hot gas and electric arc to cut through materials. They can cut simple and complex patterns in conductive material including metal plates, aluminum sheets, etc. The cutting can be done in thin or thick plates and tubes.
CNC helps to control the complex cuts, movements, and designs. They make work very much easy. Computer control provides higher precision and tolerance. Both of these are important in engineering works. Many people need special objects for projects. Such things can be harder to make using the traditional way. In such conditions, a CNC machine can help.
There are also several other general tools and equipment such as vacuum forming, cutter, grinder, welding, etc available at Digi Factory. They are all useful to fabricate engineering products.
Also Read: Homemade Arc Welder using Microwave Oven Transformers
How to Share Design Files and Project Details for manufacturing?
All of these services are very useful for engineers, enthusiasts, manufacturers, industries, and enterprises. So the main question is how do anyone share design files, ideas, and project details with Digi Factory for work. It is apparent that the process needs design files for manufacturing, cutting, and fabrication. Therefore the company has set up an easy process for its customers. People can simply send their acceptable design files of processing or they can work with company engineers to get help. These are the simple steps to get services from Digi Factory Nepal.
- Send design files in machine acceptable formats. Note: The file formats for each process is given in production capability section.
- Discuss with engineers at Digi Factory to get ideas and help on fabrication process.
- Get a quote from digital platform of Makerko or send mail to “[email protected]“.
- Approve the quotation and begin production process.
Production capabilities of Digi Factory and Cost
Different machines have different capabilities. Therefore we have tabulated the details of machines and services offered at Digi Factory. You can follow this to get an idea about the capacity of the company and predict the feasibility of your project. This table also provides an idea about the cost of the process.
| Services | Material | Capacity | File Formats | Cost Structure |
| 3D Printing (FDM) | PLA, ABS, TPU, PET-G | (XYZ) (250mm x 250mm x 300mm) | .stl, .obj, .step | NPR 180/hr + NPR 5.5/gram |
| 3D Printing (SLA/DLP) | Engineering grey resin, Dental resin, WAX | (XYZ) (120mm x 120mm x 150mm) | .stl, .obj, .step | NPR 180/hr + NPR 20/ml |
| Laser Cutting | Acrylic, MDF, Wood, Forex, Leather, Fabric | Cutting: 3ft x 4ft, 1mm-12mm Engraving: Adjustable as per design and size of block | pdf, .dxf, .svg | Material cost (actual) + NPR 20/minute |
| CNC Plasma Cutting | Tubes and Plates: Mild Steel, SS Steel, Brass, Aluminium | 4ft x 8ft Thickness: up to 30mm | .pdf, .dxf, .svg | Material cost (actual) + NPR 80/min |
| Vacuum Forming | PETG, HIPS, Cast Sheet, Form Sheet | 0.5mm, 1mm, 1.5mm 200mm x 200mm (XY) | .stl, .obj, .step or as per sample | Design/sample cost + NPR 1000 / mold |
| 3D Scanning | Idols (metal, wood, stone), Human face and body parts, Engineering products | 3 Modes: Handheld, Fixed scan, and Turntable scan Object: up to 2 meter | .stl, .obj (Based on sample) | NPR 5000 – NPR 10000 based on sample and complexities |
Digi Factory also provides design support with its staff and resources. The company provides design support for 2D and 3D designs using SolidWorks, CATIA, ZBrush, AutoCAD, Adobe Illustrator, and SketchUp. The rate of design support is Rs 500/hr. So overall the company provides service from imagination to production.
Innovative Hub for Digital Manufacturers
Digi Factory is a place that is aiming to provide high-tech services for manufacturing. The aim is to provide unconventional, new, and powerful digital manufacturing services to the industry. Many parties can benefit from this hub. These kinds of hubs are necessary for nourishing the innovative and creative minds of our country. Sometimes it is hard to manufacture complex designs as per requirement. In such cases, the advanced machinery and equipment at these places can help.
This kind of manufacturing hubs plays a crucial role in improving the technical capacity of nations and engineers. It is indeed necessary to identify and promote such innovative enterprises and youth-led initiatives by the nation to encourage youths to seek entrepreneurial avenues. If done so, it has the potential to create enormous economic opportunities within the country and open jobs to thousands of youths through local production.
