Using Design Skills through 3D Printing Technologies in Stopping the Spread of Coronavirus COVID-19‎

Second: Engineers Use 3D Printing Hack to Turn Scuba Masks into Ventilators

Sports things store Decathlon contributes to the avoidance of coronavirus by distribution improvised vents to medical centers. The company transformed the line of diving masks with the help of engineers from an Italian research institute who used 3D printing piracy to transform the equipment.

The ventilators were developed with the assistance of engineers from the Institute for System Integration Studies (ISINNOVA) in Rome. The project was paid at the request of the chief physician of a hospital in Gardon-Val-Tromping in the Lombardy region of Italy, which is one of the areas most affected by the coronavirus, to treat hypoventilation.

Designers at ISINNOVA shaped the concept of doing masks out of Decathlon‘s scuba equipment and in 3 hours, by creating a model for a 3D printed controller that effectively transformed the tackle into a vented hood. In severe cases of COVID-19, a patient’s lungs become inflamed and filled with fluid which makes it difficult for them to breathe. In these cases, a ventilator could mean the difference between life and death.

The design goals included:

· Concept: The snorkeling mask will provide splash protection, but more importantly it will allow the use of the full-face snorkel mask supply chain for manufacturing a temporary PPE solution.

· The goal is: to add a 3D printed portion to the ventilation shield of the snorkel shield. This 3D-printed part will be a custom attachment which will act as a swap-in replacement for the snorkel tube, visible at the right edge of the photo on the right of Fig. 1. As with the snorkel tube, all inhaled air will pass through the attachment; an accessory filter may be added to the air purifier. Integrating an N95 mask filter for 0.3 um particles into the custom attachment would allow the snorkel mask to function as a simple face shield and provide the same level of protection to a medical health worker as a combination of an N95 mask and a face shield. And you can see the video through the link here.

Third - Italian Engineers and Fabricators Volunteer To Rapidly 3D-Print Respirator Valves

Facing a shortage of medical equipment in northern Italy, a team of engineers and manufacturers quickly printed 100 breathing valves for hospital patients with COVID-19. The valves connect patients with respirators, providing vital support. However, after a hospital in Brescia ran out of the devices and the original manufacturer was unable to supply them, the team of volunteers took on the challenge of manufacturing new medical components. The team of Italians moved ahead and began a race against time to print as many valves as possible. However, according to the verge, when they asked the manufacturer for blueprints of the valves, the company declined to release the design files. Following the measuring of the original devices, the dimensions of the product were determined and a prototype was created. after the prototype proved successful, 3D-printers were then put to use to make a total of 100 valves. According to the 3D-printing industry, each of the devices took around an hour to 3D-print. So far, ten confirmed patients have been connected to a breathing machine via a 3D-printed valve.