Jędrzej Wierzbicki1, Maciej Nowacki1, Marta Chrzanowska1, Rafał Matkowski2,3, Marcin Ziętek2,3, Katarzyna Nowacka4, Adam Maciejczyk2,3, Edyta Pawlak-Adamska5. 1. The Minimally Invasive and Experimental Surgery Unit, Chair and Department of Surgical Oncology, Ludwik Rydygier's Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland. 2. Department of Oncology, Wroclaw Medical University, Poland. 3. Wroclaw Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wrocław, Poland. 4. Chair of Cosmetology and Aesthetic Dermatology, Ludwik Rydygier's Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland. 5. Laboratory of Immunopathology, Department of Experimental Therapy, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wrocław, Poland.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is transmitted through respiratory droplets and contact routes, hence the demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) has increased during the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Among the most noticeable shortages was the lack of face shields. The urgent demand for PPE induced interdisciplinary cooperation to overcome the shortages, and additive manufacturing proved to be ideal for the crisis situation. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the possibilities of implementing additive manufacturing technologies in the interventional fabrication of protective face shields for medical staff. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An Ender 3 Pro 3D printer was used to print headbands and Cura 4.4 was chosen as the slicing software. Open source face shield designs were downloaded as standard tessellation language (STL) files and compared. Only models with scientific support were taken under consideration. RESULTS: The mean time for producing the headbands tested ranged from 59 min to almost 3 h, depending on the design. After setting up our low budget printer and choosing the Prusa RC 3 protective face shield as the main product, we were able to fabricate about 30 face shields per week at a cost of about €1 each. During 4 weeks, 126 face shields were produced and delivered to various hospital wards, which substantially eased the shortages. CONCLUSIONS: Additive manufacturing enables immediate responses to needs in emergency situations, and allows for mass production of personal protective equipment in a short time due the rapid exchange of data among printer users. Despite the unregulated legal situation and insufficient scientific evidence, such protective equipment has been approved by clinicians and is currently used by medical personnel around the world.
BACKGROUND:Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is transmitted through respiratory droplets and contact routes, hence the demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) has increased during the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Among the most noticeable shortages was the lack of face shields. The urgent demand for PPE induced interdisciplinary cooperation to overcome the shortages, and additive manufacturing proved to be ideal for the crisis situation. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the possibilities of implementing additive manufacturing technologies in the interventional fabrication of protective face shields for medical staff. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An Ender 3 Pro 3D printer was used to print headbands and Cura 4.4 was chosen as the slicing software. Open source face shield designs were downloaded as standard tessellation language (STL) files and compared. Only models with scientific support were taken under consideration. RESULTS: The mean time for producing the headbands tested ranged from 59 min to almost 3 h, depending on the design. After setting up our low budget printer and choosing the Prusa RC 3 protective face shield as the main product, we were able to fabricate about 30 face shields per week at a cost of about €1 each. During 4 weeks, 126 face shields were produced and delivered to various hospital wards, which substantially eased the shortages. CONCLUSIONS: Additive manufacturing enables immediate responses to needs in emergency situations, and allows for mass production of personal protective equipment in a short time due the rapid exchange of data among printer users. Despite the unregulated legal situation and insufficient scientific evidence, such protective equipment has been approved by clinicians and is currently used by medical personnel around the world.
Entities:
Keywords:
3-dimensional printing; COVID-19; additive manufacturing; face shield; personal protective equipment
Authors: Carole S L Spake; Thomas N Carruthers; Joseph W Crozier; Loree K Kalliainen; Reena A Bhatt; Scott T Schmidt; Albert S Woo Journal: Ann Biomed Eng Date: 2021-09-03 Impact factor: 3.934