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Biotech Printer

3D Printed N95 Montana Mask Design Released Under GPLv3 (makethemasks.com) 52

Posted by EditorDavid from the masks-from-makers dept.
Long-time Slashdot reader blackbearnh writes: Since the COVID-19 pandemic has made Personal Protective Equipment worth it's weight in gold, Makers have been trying to help bridge the gap. While sewn masks have been the most common solution, the 3D printing community has been pitching in as well. The Montana Mask has been one of the most popular designs...

Thursday, the group Make the Masks announced that the design files and STLs to print the mask have been released under the GNU General Public License v3, allowing anyone to print, sell, remix or improve the design, as long as they conform to the license. Importantly, the GPLv3 includes an international non-exclusive patent grant, meaning that even if the inventors decide to apply for a patent, it will not restrict anyone from using the design.
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3D Printed N95 Montana Mask Design Released Under GPLv3 More

3D Printed N95 Montana Mask Design Released Under GPLv3

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  • Montana masks suck (Score:3)

    by Rosco P. Coltrane ( 209368 ) on Saturday May 09, 2020 @02:41PM (#60041394)

    I'm pretty sure these things [amazon.com] do nothing to protect you against no virus. Not to mention, Disney will never GPL it.

  • I'd like to try this... (Score:3)

    by TomGreenhaw ( 929233 ) on Saturday May 09, 2020 @02:44PM (#60041406)
    It might not fog up my glasses as much.
    • They work great! The files were released about a month ago. I've printed up about 50 units myself - about 15 for coworkers/employees, and the balance we sent to the Montana clinic as a "thank you". They fit really well (if you have a larger head, you don't need the gasket around the sides), print fast (about 2.5 hours on my Lulzbot FDM), and super easy to change filters - I get 6 filters out of a standard surgical mask.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by pz ( 113803 )

      To stop masks of any sort from fogging up your glasses, apply some athletic tape along the seam between the mask and your face, half on the mask, half on your skin. Works perfectly.

      I say althetic tape because lots and lots of people have that sort of stuff, but if you can get it, 3M's Transpore tape is ideal. That's what we use in my lab.

  • They're not printing the filters (Score:5, Informative)

    by Bradmont ( 513167 ) on Saturday May 09, 2020 @02:55PM (#60041436) Homepage

    Reading the summary I was instantly confused about how they could 3d print an N95 filter. Had to RTFA to realise that the model is a plastic mask with a replaceable filter. The filter comes from cutting up full-sized disposable masks into smaller parts, getting six filters from each mask. Decided to post this so others can be lazy and not click through.

    • Thank you! I was wondering that as well but it wasn't at all obvious from the article beyond.

    • Re:They're not printing the filters (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Joe2020 ( 6760092 ) on Saturday May 09, 2020 @03:34PM (#60041540)

      Sounds like just another bad idea for a mask and another page in the 101 book of how to create a false sense of security. Why? It will make breathing through it harder when you cut an actual N95 mask into pieces, because an actual N95 mask allows the air to travel through it over a much larger surface than when you try to push the air through a fraction of the original material. This then will lead to you either not getting enough air in and out, or, the air just going around the filter and past the sides of it. The actual N95 masks are already not easy to breath with and this 3D printed cup might end up giving you serious breathing problems as if you had the actual virus itself.

      I like masks by Max Siedentopf. He knows what he is doing: https://www.dezeen.com/2020/02... [dezeen.com]

      • Re:They're not printing the filters (Score:4, Informative)

        by blackbearnh ( 637683 ) on Saturday May 09, 2020 @04:00PM (#60041600)

        First off, they are intended for healthcare professionals, not people infected with Covid-19. Secondly, the folks in Montana actually did extensive testing for CO2 clearance and mask fit, and it works as well as a commercial N95 respirator when correctly fitted. Test results are available on the web site. I have to say, I wear mine whenever I go out, and have no difficulty breathing.

        • The mask itself doesn't come with a filter. Without filter is it useless. So where do you get those from?! The test results hide this fact conveniently and the results are useless without this information. If they were indeed using the fabric material of an actual N95 mask then it cannot be equal to it in performance, because math doesn't lie. When you cut down the fabric and use only a fraction of the surface to breath through then it will be harder for you to breath.

          Also people who have the virus, or who

        • Also one more thing... you say it was extensively tested. If so, then why does the website say this in it's disclaimer:

          "The 3D printed mask information presented here is intended to assist the general public during the current global pandemic related to COVID-19 and the related nationwide shortage of personal protective equipment. Please be aware that this mask design is not intended to replace standard protective equipment such as N-95 masks or surgical masks when that equipment is available. The use of

          • An N-95 surgical mask wastes a lot of filter material on the sides of your face, which don't contribute to your breathing quality. This lets you take that otherwise useless material and make it go farther. And as to the disclaimer, you've evidently never had an encounter with the American legal system...

            • It doesn't waste much, no. What you see as excess does give you more surface to breath through. It also solves the problem of the transition from filter to skin by being all made from the same filter material. A 3D printed plastic mask isn't as flexible and can leave a person with gaps. If your point then is to save material then you might equally leave the 3D printer off and not produce more plastic waste. But that aside, more important is the disclaimer. It is pretty short actually and states clearly the

              • Well, given that I'm the National Coordinator and talk to the creators and their team on a regular basis, I think I know sometime about the subject. The masks have in fact been tested, you can see the results on the makethemasks.com website. One of the regional coordinators in bringing in certified KN95 filters in quantity and many of the coordinators have been buying from him at cost to distribute with the masks. The reality is that the masks WERE tested for CO2 exchange and seal quality, and when fitted p

                • Re:They're not printing the filters (Score:4, Insightful)

                  by Joe2020 ( 6760092 ) on Saturday May 09, 2020 @07:39PM (#60042318)

                  To me it comes across as this: you destroy a perfectly good N95 mask, the kind that is in demand right now and one that could instead have been given to people who really need them, just so you can wear a 3D-printed mask you've made yourself, and one that hasn't been fully tested nor approved and where even the makers of the design say that their intention is not to replace actual N95 masks.

                  Frankly, to me it reads like someone making an attempt at entering the Darwin Awards...

                  But not wanting to pass judgement do I accept your explanation and you sound like you know what you're doing. People shouldn't blindly copy the idea and then destroy N95 masks.

                  • Re: (Score:2)

                    by Ksevio ( 865461 )

                    His N95 mask wasn't going to be used by others and he's making it last 6 times longer. Looks like they've done pretty extensive testing on the mask, OP didn't make it himself.

          • The purpose of the disclaimer is to scare off people such as yourself who aren't good enough at understanding words to understand all the instructions. All you're know is that it sounds scary, and you'll go away. If you can understand the disclaimer, you'll realize it only says obvious stuff, it isn't actually informing you of anything. But if you can understand that, you'll also understand the rest of the instructions!

      • Why? It will make breathing through it harder when you cut an actual N95 mask into pieces, because an actual N95 mask allows the air to travel through it over a much larger surface than when you try to push the air through a fraction of the original material.

        That is an incredibly relevant and important point ... only when you're using it to filter our dust and larger particulates. The small surface area is completely irrelevant to a clean mask, and stays irrelevant when you're only concerned about viruses rather than say silica dust, catalyst, or other fines.

    • This will probably appeal to people worried about the plastic pandemic from all the virus protection equipment being churned out at warp(roduction) speed. So you could in theory be getting one mask for the ecological cost of six. Or, if you're not a health professional, maybe you could shoeshorn some other filter in place. I don't want to do a Trump and recommend something in particular, but offhand, I can think of the filters used in air-conditioners, assuming they're not toxic on contact. Computer dust fi

    • Decided to post this so others can be lazy and not click through.

      Yeah but we still had to read your post, so let's call it even.

    • Thats right! Being able to get 6 uses out of a single surgical mask was the fundamental idea behind this mask. The doctors who came up with the idea were concerned about the PPE shortage and needed to find a way to stretch the supply.
    • Decided to post this so others can be lazy and not click through.

      By doing so, you did violate the unspoken rule of Slashdot that it's in bad taste to RTFA. The proper way is to bitch that 3d printing a filter isn't really possible and this whole story is nonsense, catching at least a plus 3 score (interesting or informative), thereby getting others to check TFA and report back on what's really up. You broke the chain by finding out what's up all by yourself. What's the world coming to?

  • What it looks like (Score:3, Funny)

    by Joe2020 ( 6760092 ) on Saturday May 09, 2020 @03:11PM (#60041488)

    It looks like a groin protection cup with a happy little window in it.

    • If you like splitting your "Mr. Happy" into four pieces to fit through the panes in that window - your idea of "happy" and mine differ quite a bit!

      • Shit, man, if you find yourself visiting a free country, check out the unfiltered internet and what people's idea of "happy" is!

        Your jaw is gonna hit the floor when you see what freaks are doing these days. Four heads is nothing.

  • Since this technique does not print the air-filter itself, we could get the latter by ordering some vacuum cleaner HEPA bags (the ones that filter out small particles), cut them up and insert them into this filter holder. By the way "worth it's weight in gold" should be rewritten as "worth its weight in gold".

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward

      HEPA bags are a very bad choice. They fibres almost all of them are made of are really really bad for your lungs (fibreglass/similar).

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by gweihir ( 88907 )

        Indeed. There is a reason that vacuum cleaners have a micro-filter after them. (Well, there are several reasons, but this is one.)

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by gweihir ( 88907 )

          That said, maybe you could re-purpose the HEPA filters that are in the air-stream last. Although they are usually glued in a way that may make this difficult.

  • Steampunk Mask (Score:5, Funny)

    by PolygamousRanchKid ( 1290638 ) on Saturday May 09, 2020 @03:23PM (#60041522)

    I wear one similar to this on the bus or in stores:

    http://shop.kemawelt.de/Steamp... [kemawelt.de]

    It gives folks a laugh in these times so desperately in need of humor.

    Seeing all these people walking around with standard surgical masks is kind of depressing.

    • I was looking through a bunch of face masks people made and some are quite funny. One design that stood out, because it was made by a nurse and they deserve a lot of respect for what they do, caught me totally off guard.

      https://metro.co.uk/2020/03/29... [metro.co.uk]

  • This is a mask of last resort. Read the disclaimer before deciding to fire up the 3D printer and hand them out.
    This mask does a very poor job of sealing against the bones of the face due the rigidity of the of plastic.
    I do not think this design is viable as PPE for Corona Virus.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by I75BJC ( 4590021 )
      Does it claim to be a PPE mask?

      The point missed is that someone created this and licensed it for FREE!

      The question should be, "Is this better than cloth masks?

      I'm sure many people would buy PPE masks for personal use but where can a citizen (in the USA) purchase one?
      All the PPE masks are designated for front-line personnel. Even hospital employees can't get PPE masks in my area.
      So fire up your 3D printer and print away! Or, realize that you now have a decent reason to buy (and use) a 3D printer!
    • Have you checked the actual test and results [makethemasks.com]? It passes full lab-tests for OSHA N95 qualifications. And having made 50 units (for myself and many others), it fits the face bones REALLY well; if you have a smaller face, you can downsize the prints (I scale-printed some at 70% for a coworker's kids), or add a flexible rubber gasket around the side (as shown in the assemblies). For me, it fits fine - if I put plastic film over the window, it effectively halts ALL airflow, indicating a great seal.

      • For me, it fits fine - if I put plastic film over the window, it effectively halts ALL airflow, indicating a great seal.

        Hey buddy, don't do that. You need air to live!

        • Dammit, that's my problem! I hold it on my face with the N1000 (plastic film), get drowsy, and the next thing I know I'm waking up on the floor, and have to find the mask somewhere!

    • This mask does a very poor job of sealing against the bones of the face due the rigidity of the of plastic.

      Sounds like you're printing the wrong plastic.

  • Before you start firing up your printers: 1. This mask doesn't do any good if you (or the people you are using them for) can't source filters. 2. "Approvals" for 3d printed masks usually required special techniques like Nylon Sinstering (FSM). i.e. your standard PLA/ABS printer will NOT produce acceptable masks. PLS/ABS additive printing is too porous even at 100% infil so that NiH hasn't approved such production. 3. Hospitals have their OWN equipment and requrements for sanitation and sterilization. If yo

    • Actually, chemical disinfection of the masks with steriwipes or bleach has been shown to disinfect them well enough for reuse. Check out the reports on the makethemasks.com website where they cultured a mask before and after cleaning after a day of use.

      • They may have - but just because they said it, it doesn't mean NiH agrees, or a given hospital would accept it. Or that that is the ONLY thing that's of concern (e.g. porosity). Most of the "maker" stuff you see is either one-time-use type stuff, or often not okay for hospital settings. 3D Printed faceshield frames are good - but respirators/masks are problematic. We've been going though this extensively: http://www.makeitlabs.com/covi... [makeitlabs.com]

        • it doesn't mean NiH agrees, or a given hospital would accept it

          Instead of just asserting this as a valid metric, you'd need to establish why home made masks would be given approval for hospitals in the first place? Does that make sense? And is the certification actually and legitimately more relevant to the use case than the effectiveness?

          If I'm doing electrical work on a home, I care about certification on its own, separately from effectiveness. For good reasons.

          But here, the whole point of home made PPE is to reserve the professionally made stuff for the medical prof

          • The important (and frightening) thing to realize is - there hasn't been the luxury of waiting for "professional PPE" for medial professionals. It's been stuff from orgs like ours - or NONE at all.. Our org (and our partner orgs) have indeed mad a lot of PPE for [many, many, many] hospitals (and others). And many of those "partners" are other maker spaces and makers. I am saying this because a lot of well-meaning people (and organizations) are 3d printing a lot of these masks and donating them to hospitals.

  • Why is this even news? (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    There are literally hundreds of CC-licensed mask designs floating around on Thingiverse, Cults3D, Prusa3D and the like. A lot of them look a hell of a lot like this mask, too.

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