How 3D Printing Is Helping Doctors Win Fight Against COVID-19 Pandemic

The world has been going through tough ordeal due to COVID-19. However, it has been the worst for people in the medical field, as the number of cases just keep piling on, putting immense strain on medical resources. From ventilators to PPE, they¡¯re facing a ton of shortages.

Reuters

Amidst all this, the community of 3D printers have come together to make their lives simpler. Here are a few ways in which 3D printing is helping in the fight against COVID-19.

Fracktal Works: Face Shields and Crowdfunding

Co-founded by Rohit Asil, Fracktal is essentially a 3D printer maker from Bengaluru. However, now they¡¯ve initiated a fundraiser on Ketto -- a crowdfunding platform, to help others contribute to donate face shields and other protective gear to doctors and other healthcare professionals who are currently in the frontline, dealing with COVID-19 patients in Dakshina Kannada District.

Fracktal

Boson Machines: Face Shields

Another 3D printing startup based out of Mumbai, Boson Machines have created easy to assemble face shields using 3D printing, that they¡¯re offering to medical healthcare workers, while reducing stress on facemasks. They¡¯re currently producing as many as 5000 shields in a day to bridge the gap between supplies.

NIPER Guwahati: 3D printed Door handle opener

In India, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Guwahati has created a 3D printed tool that could prevent doctors from touching infected doors or drawer surfaces.

India Science Wire

The tool helps them open doors and drawers with ease, without really touching them, thus preventing spreading of deadly COVID-19.

Isinnova: 3D Printed Ventilator parts

We know the havoc COVID-19 wreaked in Italy, claiming lives of over 21,000 people Amidst all this, they faced immense shortage for ventilators, and many came forward to help them. One of them was Isinnova -- a Brescia-based engineering firm.

3D Printing Industry

It used its 3D printers to combat the shortage of ventilator valves in Italy. They used their six in-house 3D printing machines to produce 100 respirator valves in 24 hours, saving many lives along the way.

Ethereal Machines: Ventilator Splitter

This 3D machine making startup in Bengaluru has created Amaya -- a ventilator splitter crafted in their CNC 3D printing machines that will allow one ventilator to be used with multiple patients simultaneously, to balance the strain on ventilator availability while saving lives. The splitter splits oxygen supply 50/50. They have also created a differential splitter if in case one patient is in need of more oxygen than the other, splitting in 70-30 ratio.

MIT E-Vent: 3D Print Ventilator

MIT engineers shared schematics for people to 3D print and create ventilators to combat shortage around the world. The design used an Ambu bag, which is essentially used for emergencies when a ventilator isn¡¯t available -- where a doctor or a medical practitioner squeezes the bag by hand to push air into the lungs of the patient.

MIT

E-Vent uses this Ambu bag (something that is available in abundance in hospitals) and squeezes it with the help of paddles attached to a mechanical motor.

Materialise: 3D Printed Hand Attachment

Materialise, a 3D printing service provider has created a cool nifty tool that attaches to door handles to prevent people from touching it with their hands.

Materialise

Instead, it makes use of narms to push or pull open the door and prevent spreading of germs. How cool is that?

Divide by Zero: Face Mask Pressure relievers

We¡¯ve seen the pain doctors and nurses have been in, wearing face masks and suits for days, bruising their faces. To prevent that Divide by Zero, a 3D printing startup from Mumbai has designed a face mask pressure reliever that reduces the strain of elastic over the ears and the face, while firmly holding the mask in place. They¡¯re also making as many as 8000 face shields in a day and distributing it to hospitals in Mumbai and Pune.

Moath Abuyasha: 3D Printed Sanitiser Holder

Moath Abuyasha, a Surgical 3D Printing & Digital Planning Specialist has created a nifty little tool that stops us from spreading germs using our hand sanitizer bottle.

Moath Abuyasha

He¡¯s created a cute 3D printed hand sanitizer stand that prevents users from contaminating the bottle while cleansing hands, and again contaminating the hand while holding the virus-infested bottle.

Winsun: 3D Printed Quarantine Rooms

Winsun -- a 3D architectural firm in China created 3D printed quarantine rooms with the help of solid urban construction waste. The rooms included water and electricity supplies.

Winsun

According to Winsun, the printed walls are 3x stronger than traditional concrete walls.

3D printing is so cool!