3D Printing and COVID-19, April 3, 2020 Update

Companies, organizations and individuals continue to attempt to lend support to the COVID-19 pandemic supply effort. We will be providing regular updates about these initiatives where necessary in an attempt to ensure that the 3D printing community is aware of what is being done, what can be done and what shouldn’t be done to provide coronavirus aid. 

Anesthesiology residents from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston are now hosting the CoVent-19 Challenge on GrabCAD, where the community can submit designs for rapidly deployable ventilator systems. The challenge will last two months starting April 1, with finalists chosen to work with Stratasys to realize their designs as functional prototypes for testing. After four weeks, 20 finalists will be chosen before another four weeks are dedicated to developing and testing functional prototypes with the help of private and public sector representatives knowledgeable about the regulatory measures and safety testing associated with these medical devices. Three top finalists will win $10,000 in credits Stratasys Direct Manufacturing. 

Now that Medtronic has opened up the design files for its PB560 system, there may be a possibility that these designs will be functional and safe. Unfortunately, two months is a long time for people currently in dire need of ventilators, so hopefully alternatives to the CoVent-19 Challenge can be found instead. Perhaps most logically and importantly would be the increase in production of ventilators by manufacturers, possibly in response to government mandate. 

In the Czech Republic—the site of a major theft of 680,000 face masks shipping from China to Italy, possibly with state involvement—auto manufacturer ŠKODA is using its Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) systems to 3D print respirators for medical staff. The devices were designed by the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics (CIIRC) at the Czech Technical University and certified according to EN 140:1999 standards for use within a week. 

Respirator masks printed by ŠKODA and certified according to EN 140:1999 standards. Image courtesy of ŠKODA.

The CIIRC RP95-3D is made up of a mask, seal caps, an adapter for a P3 filter cartridge attachment and exhalation covers. It is designed to be reused and sterilized in a steam sterilizer, as well as disinfected with a spray solution made of 85 percent ethanol. The filter is meant to last up to a week. MJF was used to ensure minimal porosity and layer lines in order to maximize disinfection.

After first testing the printing of five masks and certifying the production of the device, ŠKODA is now able to produce 60 respirators per day, with 16 hours to print and 16 hours to cool. Once made by the auto company, Czech print shop 3Dees is assembling them and sending them to the Ministry of Health, which will distribute them. Whereas injection molding will ultimately be used for production, 3D printing is a stopgap while molds are developed and made. In the interim, companies with Jet Fusion 4200 and 5200 series systems are invited to access the CIIRC web portal.

The certification of the device is key. The fact that the CIIRC RP95-3D respirator is said to offer the same degree of protection as an FFP3 class respirator or higher, as certified according to specific medical device standards, means that this could be a valid replacement for traditionally made respirators. 

The same cannot be said of some well-meaning filter systems being developed by individuals in Hong Kong. Makers in the region have developed 3D printable filter adapters for use on standard 3M half masks. Teacher Carlos Tchiang, for instance, has developed several iterations of an adapter to attach aerosol droplet filters to 3M HF52, 6200 and 7502 masks. Similarly, Neo Chan, the director of a video production team called Mirai Productions, has redesigned his own 3D printable filter adapter shown in the video below. 

That isn’t to say that Makers don’t have their role to play in creating items in response to the pandemic, but that there are safer ways of participating. Devices for medical staff should be made in conjunction with medical professionals, possibly through existing initiatives, such as #GetUsPPE in the U.S. Those devices should either be certified by regulatory bodies or of the variety that don’t require as strict safety standards, such as face shields and distancing devices. One example is a face shield that has been approved by the National Institute of Health in the U.S. 

Otherwise, Makers and businesses that don’t want to get into risky medical device production can work on items for the general public. Anisoprint, which manufactures fiber reinforcement 3D printing technology, is instead lending its hand to manufacturers impacted by the supply chain disruption resulting from the pandemic. The Russian-Luxembourg company will 3D print composite or plastic parts for businesses facing supply chain issues for free by emailing them at info@anisoprint.com.

The post 3D Printing and COVID-19, April 3, 2020 Update appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

210 Replies to “3D Printing and COVID-19, April 3, 2020 Update”

  1. Pingback: cialis for sale
  2. Pingback: Samples of viagra
  3. Pingback: viagra 50mg
  4. Pingback: cheap viagra
  5. Pingback: Cialis in usa
  6. Pingback: vardenafil pills
  7. Pingback: vardenafil 20 mg
  8. Pingback: casinos
  9. Pingback: cash loans
  10. Pingback: personal loans
  11. Pingback: cash payday
  12. Pingback: viagra pills
  13. Pingback: cialis to buy
  14. Pingback: new cialis
  15. Pingback: buy cialis
  16. Pingback: cialis generic
  17. Pingback: real casino
  18. Pingback: order viagra
  19. Pingback: viagra discount
  20. Pingback: tadalafil reviews
  21. Pingback: cialis 5mg
  22. Pingback: Viagra 120mg uk
  23. Pingback: Cialis 40mg usa
  24. Pingback: lasix 100mg cheap
  25. Pingback: amaryl 4 mg uk
  26. Pingback: ceftin pharmacy
  27. Pingback: celexa australia
  28. Pingback: cost of cephalexin
  29. Pingback: where to buy cipro
  30. Pingback: order claritin
  31. Pingback: online casinos
  32. Pingback: pala casino online
  33. Pingback: casinos online
  34. Pingback: real money casino
  35. Pingback: autoinsurance
  36. Pingback: abc car insurance
  37. Pingback: personal loans
  38. Pingback: cbd oil for cancer
  39. Pingback: write essays
  40. Pingback: essay writing tip
  41. Pingback: cleocin canada
  42. Pingback: clomid for sale
  43. Pingback: crestor usa
  44. Pingback: Get viagra fast
  45. Pingback: how to buy hyzaar
  46. Pingback: buy imitrex 50 mg
  47. Pingback: indocin tablet
  48. Pingback: levaquin cheap
  49. Pingback: lopid tablet
  50. Pingback: luvox for sale
  51. Pingback: phenergan usa
  52. Pingback: plaquenil canada
  53. Pingback: buy prevacid
  54. Pingback: prilosec 20 mg usa
  55. Pingback: proscar cost
  56. Pingback: protonix 20mg nz
  57. Pingback: pyridium canada
  58. Pingback: rogaine medication
  59. Pingback: seroquel 300mg usa
  60. Pingback: singulair canada
  61. Pingback: skelaxin canada
  62. Pingback: toprol for sale
  63. Pingback: tricor online
  64. Pingback: voltaren purchase
  65. Pingback: zanaflex coupon
  66. Pingback: how to buy zocor
  67. Pingback: zyvox purchase
  68. Pingback: meclizine purchase
  69. Pingback: irbesartan tablets
  70. Pingback: olmesartan canada
  71. Pingback: ciprofloxacin usa
  72. Pingback: acetazolamide nz
  73. Pingback: phenytoin tablets
  74. Pingback: glipizide online
  75. Pingback: gemfibrozil nz

Comments are closed.