Mobilizing 3D Printers Around the World Against the Coronovirus (theguardian.com) 25
"From face-shields to respirator valves, 3-D printer owners pitch in to the efforts to provide PPE to Australian hospitals," writes davecb (Slashdot reader #6,526).
It's not only happening in Australia. But the Guardian talked to Mat Bowtell, a former Toyota engineer in Australia who's using fourteen 3D printers to manufacture thousands of face shields for healthcare workers. And citing 3D printing, the director of a not-for-profit working with the government says the country has an "incredible onshore capability" to respond to the pandemic: "The 3D printing capability onshore is a massive distinguisher for Australia to step up to the crisis," he said. When asked how else 3D printing might be deployed in practice, Goennemann points to the supply of ventilators, which are needed to assist breathing in the most seriously ill Covid-19 patients... Goennemann says Resmed, the main ventilator manufacturer, could struggle to get parts due to the disruption of global supply chains. That's where 3D printing can help. "I don't want to speak on behalf of Resmed, but that's an area where we have critical supply, and parts can be 3D printed onshore rather than being procured offshore," he said...
For Bowtell, the decision to shift his production to face shields had nothing to do with profit. It was about doing what he could in the most extraordinary of times. "It's about survival at the moment," Bowtell said. "Just helping people to get through this together."
Reuters also reported that one Italian company used its 3D printers to manufacture valves for respirators for its local hospital. And a paywalled article at Fortune also describes the team building an open source ventilator, while also noting that more than 4,800 people with 3D printers "have, via a public Google Doc, signed up to help print everything from face shields to ventilator parts for their local hospitals."
They also highlight Budmen Industries, an upstate New York company selling 3D printers that has now also printed 1,492 face shields for New York medical workers. And finally there's the CoVent-19 Challenge, "an open innovation 8-week Grand Challenge for engineers, innovators, designers, and makers" on the GrabCAD Challenges platform, to create "a rapidly deployable, minimum viable mechanical ventilator for patients with COVID-19 related ventilator-dependent lung injury."
It's not only happening in Australia. But the Guardian talked to Mat Bowtell, a former Toyota engineer in Australia who's using fourteen 3D printers to manufacture thousands of face shields for healthcare workers. And citing 3D printing, the director of a not-for-profit working with the government says the country has an "incredible onshore capability" to respond to the pandemic: "The 3D printing capability onshore is a massive distinguisher for Australia to step up to the crisis," he said. When asked how else 3D printing might be deployed in practice, Goennemann points to the supply of ventilators, which are needed to assist breathing in the most seriously ill Covid-19 patients... Goennemann says Resmed, the main ventilator manufacturer, could struggle to get parts due to the disruption of global supply chains. That's where 3D printing can help. "I don't want to speak on behalf of Resmed, but that's an area where we have critical supply, and parts can be 3D printed onshore rather than being procured offshore," he said...
For Bowtell, the decision to shift his production to face shields had nothing to do with profit. It was about doing what he could in the most extraordinary of times. "It's about survival at the moment," Bowtell said. "Just helping people to get through this together."
Reuters also reported that one Italian company used its 3D printers to manufacture valves for respirators for its local hospital. And a paywalled article at Fortune also describes the team building an open source ventilator, while also noting that more than 4,800 people with 3D printers "have, via a public Google Doc, signed up to help print everything from face shields to ventilator parts for their local hospitals."
They also highlight Budmen Industries, an upstate New York company selling 3D printers that has now also printed 1,492 face shields for New York medical workers. And finally there's the CoVent-19 Challenge, "an open innovation 8-week Grand Challenge for engineers, innovators, designers, and makers" on the GrabCAD Challenges platform, to create "a rapidly deployable, minimum viable mechanical ventilator for patients with COVID-19 related ventilator-dependent lung injury."
NIH recommended design (Score:4, Informative)
If you are interested in helping with 3D printing something, one place to start is to look at this recently sanctioned design for face mask parts from the NIH [twitter.com].
Face-mask parts seem to be an especially good use of 3D-printing as they are easy for anyone to produce and don't take very long.
I can't help on this front sadly, as I had enough other frustrating time-sinks in my life that I never felt like adding 3D-Printing to the mix. Maybe someday, but for now I applaud those that can help!
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I can't help on this front sadly, as I had enough other frustrating time-sinks in my life that I never felt like adding 3D-Printing to the mix.
Baby-making. :-D
But seriously I wonder how many of these 3D-printers being called to arms are of the commercial variety, instead of consumer, with a big difference in capability and quality? And as important why don't hospitals have this capability?
That is a great question (Score:2)
And as important why don't hospitals have this capability?
It does seem like a really great idea for hospitals to have a handful of 3D printers to be able to produce some parts on-demand... there have got to be a lot of small parts that break at hospitals where it would be really useful to have a 3D printer around with a catalog of all small parts that are used within the hospital, or could be re-purposed for things like face masks. You could have 10,000 face masks on standby with a 3D printer and a few b
Mask, face shield, and PPE designs here (Score:4, Informative)
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Always worth checking locally. There are multiple different designed masks floating around and not all hospitals use a common design. Check before you print.
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Re: Mask, face shield, and PPE designs here (Score:2)
How long does it take to print a face shield / face mask?
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I'm not involved in 3d printing but here's a link to the face shields they are printing around here which they claim can be printed in less than 20 min https://3dverkstan.se/protecti... [3dverkstan.se]
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Still tied to a supply chain (Score:2)
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While I applaud this volunteerism, it's not a panacea as you can't simply pop out some parts with your typical hobbyist filaments. Medical grade printable plastics still have to be shipped, sometimes around the world, to be used.
No they don't. The vast majority of parts being used are supplied by using *no-one-cares* filament. You can still print a world of medical parts using PLA.
As for your comment about Bowden tube, that's a load of crap. Most Bowden tube printers are perfectly able to print ASA, ABS, Flex and other materials. PTFE tubing being over heated? What shoddy crappy design hot end must you have that the tubing even gets warm let alone gets above 200C.
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Many hot ends have the Bowden tube go all the way through to the end of the nozzle threads, so the very tip can get quite hot. I replaced mine with a better quality tube, the original no-name tube was clearly darkened and distorted with a bit of a burned smell at the end just from printing PLA. No problems since. I routinely print at 251 degrees without incident. As you say, that'll for ASA and ABS as well as PETG just fine.
I avoid ASA and ABS since my printer is in the living room and has no outside ventil
Re:Still tied to a supply chain (Score:5, Informative)
It's really more complicated than that. TPU will print fine. Many people replace the hot-end with an all metal hot end so the bowden tube onlty touches the top of the heat sink well above the heat break. Probably the most common upgrade is switching from the cheap bowden tube to higher quality Capricorn tubing. The manufacturer claims 300 degrees (with caution) but I wouldn't push it that much.
You can print ASA or ABS within the limits, but of course given the styrene from the filament, you will already need to keep it well ventilated (preferably enclosed with venting to the outside).
But for the current situation, PLA is fine for most applications. It's a good choice for this since it is trouble free. Note, PLA and PETG can be safely soaked in IPA.
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Get production of N95 masks going like Taiwan. South Korea with its KF94.
Get masks out to all citizens who are working to protect the skills and professions.
If Taiwan, South Korea and other nations can look after their own citizens why cant every US state?
Taiwan was ready years before. Some US states had been more ready years ago.. but their masks failed to
Talk about Jo Prusa FFS! (Score:1)
Jo is one of the foremost people in making face shields and getting them certified for medical use. Almost everyone who has "invented" one has been forced to admit they modified one of his designs. He made them open source so everyone could use them and modify them as needed but if you're going to do it then credit the guy who made them first.
https://blog.prusaprinters.org/from-design-to-mass-3d-printing-of-medical-shields-in-three-days/
Read more of his blog entries to find out what else he's doing to help
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What? 3D printers make the news (Score:2)
and it's not about guns? WTF is going on?
Since gun sales are up, why are there no stories about people with 3D printers printing guns to protect themselves and their families from marauding thugs looking for a meal or a piece of ass?
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and it's not about guns? WTF is going on?
Since gun sales are up, why are there no stories about people with 3D printers printing guns to protect themselves and their families from marauding thugs looking for a meal or a piece of ass?
The problem with the Defense Distributed endeavor was that it was more of a proof of concept and a way to make a political point than it was to make a viable weapon. The only metal part in the gun was a nail they were using as a firing pin. Unfortunately, I don't think I'd want to be holding one of these and fire off a 9mm round. It's likely to explode in my hand. It's also only going to be good for a couple shots especially when you consider the pressures and the thermal buildup involved. Particularly if
injection molders (Score:3)
https://www.usnews.com/news/be... [usnews.com]
Re: injection molders (Score:3)
No delay here. 3d printing nerds printed out a few hundred visors by the time a local plastics company figured out the details and tooling. Then they spat out a few thousand in a few hours. So basically a waste of PLA if you ask me.
Why 3d print? (Score:2)
This is a total waste of filament and time when there are a few beautiful laser cuttable designs out there for single use visors. It takes about 1 minute on my 40w laser, no PLA or any other materials required.
Please stop posting about 3d printers saving the world, they aren't, not YOUR 3d printer anyway..
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Was this the most efficient way to go about it? Absolutely not! Did we save the whole world? No, we didn't. But in s
Map Site to connect 3D printers with local need (Score:1)
I made a website to help connect people with 3D printers (and other ways of helping), with organizations (including hospitals) near them that are in need. If you have a 3D printer and want to help, please add your info to the map at:
https://www.covidhelpmap.com/ [covidhelpmap.com]