Lessons learned from the 3D printing community response to COVID-19 (+ resources)

Since late-January, I’ve been receiving blog posts and news about global responses, case studies and product developments at the hands of 3D printing service providers or manufacturers looking to help tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of them look into how 3d printing could manufacture alternatives to medical equipment shortages.

A week into our very own government-issue quarantine in Puerto Rico, I’ve been able to find sufficient free time to dive into all this information and see how I could be of help. On this entry, I’m not only sharing lessons learned but links and resources to files and/or initiatives that seem to work.

3D Printed Protective Face Shields

PPE face mask designed and prototyped by Prusa Research

Let’s start on a positive note, one of the most successful prints out there seems to be the fabrication of personal protective equipment (PPE). There are plenty of examples for PPE face masks since the 3d printing community is constantly iterating and making newer versions. Several designs aim for shorter printing times and/or fitting of the plastic sheets but I decided to share the one developed by Prusa Research in the Czech Republic (linked below). They even got the Czech Ministry of Health to offer product verifications and it's on its way towards field testing in hospitals.

Whichever way you’re trying to help, my professional recommendation is to get medical experts on board as consultants and do your best to get your prototypes field-tested. Also, due to the nature of how FDM 3D printing works, 3D printed products made for the medical industry are considered single-use only (I’ll elaborate more on the reasons why later on).

3D Printed Masks

Nanohack, a 3D printed mask developed by Copper3D. Copper3D claims the design is an N95 mas equivalent.

A more controversial topic is that of homemade/3D printed face masks. Theoretically, you could design, 3D print and retrofit an existing filter into a 3D printed mask, but experts seem to agree that the idea will not work due to two (2) reasons: The nature of FDM 3D printing and its failed fit tests. As explained by 3M, face masks must seal to the wearer’s face in order to provide expected protection, a task hard to achieve by rigid plastic.

Opinions are two-sided on the matter. Experts in the 3D printing community such as Josef Prusa argue that tackling the possibility of creating a 3D printed N95 mask equivalent is so hard that it's better to allocate time and resources into other designs. Others argue that while it might be impossible, any sort of mask is better than nothing, medical field experts share a similar opinion. While some argue that it isn’t worth it, others argue that some protection is better than no protection and that homemade masks could add value to the rest of the procedures in place that minimize transmission.

The problem with FDM 3D Printing

For those not familiar with 3D printing, FDM (fused deposition modeling) is by far the most common type of 3D printers out there. If a friend of yours owns a 3D printer, chances are it’s s a FDM desktop 3d printer. Plastic parts made with FDM 3D printers are porous due to the nature of the layering process and, this porosity is prone to the growth of bacteria. This doesn’t mean that FDM parts cannot be sterilized, but such materials are not commonly available and tend to be used by industrial level FDM printers. Common materials for FDM printing include ABS and PLA, which cannot be autoclaved nor sterilized. This is one of the main reasons Prusa Research is considering all of its PPE prints single-use.

Also, there is too much variability in printer performance, operator performance and handling of 3D printed parts to assure performance consistency, unless all the parts are sourced from the same printing farm or manufacturer.

Italian hospital saves patients by 3D printing valves

3D printed valves by Italian company Lonati.

By far the most commented and shared news since the pandemic has been about the Italian hospital that 3D printed valves for reanimation devices. I won’t write about the story itself since it's been widely published but wanted to share light into the process itself. A misconception about the valves are that they were made with FDM 3D printers.

Italian company Issinova founder, Cristian Fracassi, bought an FDM 3d printer into the hospital in Brescia and was able to prototype a 3D printed valve alternative for intensive care devices that needed them. After the prototype was tested, another local firm, Lonati SpA, took over manufacturing and made the final valves using a polymer laser powder bed fusion process and a custom polyamide-based material with better properties for the task at hand.

This proves the complexity behind the manufacturing of medical devices and over-simplification by news media. FDM 3D printers are excellent for quick and cheap prototyping but more specialized equipment and materials are needed for most of the medical uses in the 3D printing industry.

Conclusion: Lessons Learned

Ask first, print later

The fact that some of the examples discussed in this entry are in shortage, doesn’t mean that hospitals close to you have the same needs, ask first, print later. Collaborate with an expert in the field of whatever it is you’re trying to design or create, ask for recommendations and validate prototypes.

Don’t start from scratch, iterate

Do your research, look how the same problems have been solved abroad and try to implement those same designs, do not lose time by working or designing from scratch, it is better to iterate from the design of others. I believe one of the reasons the PPE design by Prusa Research has been so successful in Czech Republic is because they didn’t start the design from scratch but iterated new designs and prototypes from an existing design available online.

Avoid herd mentality, innovate.

There seems to be plenty of people trying to help hospitals with 3d printed medical supplies. The fact that a lot of people are iterating designs for masks, protective equipment, valves, and respirators doesn’t mean that they aren’t other needs out there. For example, educational models and/or strategies for parents quarantined with their kids at home.

Look for needs within your expertise.

Below I’m sharing additional resources and links. Also, feel free to comment and discuss.

Thank you for reading!

Downloadables:

Prusa Research’s Protective Face Shield design

Venturi valve designed and made in Italy (shared for educational purposes, printing it and sharing with hospitals is not advised. Apart from the fact that the part is protected under copyright, respirators might use different valves or they simply might not be needed)

References:

From Design to Mass 3D printing of Medical Shields in Three Days via Prusa Research blog

Copper3D’s Hack the Pandemic mask via Copper3D

Overview of the fit testing process via 3M

Open Source COVID19 Medical Supplies is a +30k strong Facebook group of makers, designers, engineers, and medical field experts discussing demand and designs

What 3D Printed materials can be sterilized? via Xometry