3D-Printed N95 Equivalent for Personal Protective Equipment Shortages: the Kansas City Mask

Dalla, Shiv; Bacon, Brandon T.; Ayres, Jack M; Holmstead, Stephen; Elliot, Alan J Ahlberg

doi:10.2217/3dp-2020-0019

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Schematic of the computer-aided design process for the 3D-printed mask frame based on a CAD model of a Montana Mask respirator . The original CAD model for the Montana respirator (a) is cut 10 mm from the mask-face interface (b), and the ruling curves (c) are obtained by the intersections of the model and the interface.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mask frame construction began with the alteration of an open-sourced respirator model that had been previously leveraged as an alternative to surgical masks and N95 respirators during PPE shortages and validated through respiratory, sanitation, and fit tests. 30 After importing the full respirator model to CAD software (Rhinoceros 6), a cutting surface was generated by tracing the innermost layer of the base design. Ruling curves were then obtained by intersecting the cutting surface and the mask design with 2 mm intervals using the "MeshIntersect" command.…”

Section: ■ Materials and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While 3D printing has been applied to improve the fit, comfort, and performance of rigid three-dimensional masks, we hypothesize that 3D printing could also improve the effectiveness of cloth masks and face coverings by improving their fit. Here, we applied existing respirator computer-aided design (CAD) models 30 to create a form-fitting mask frame to improve the fit of a cloth mask. We show that the integration of a 3D-printed, form-fitting mask frame significantly improved the inward protection efficiency of a widely available cotton mask for particle sizes known to transmit SARS-CoV-2.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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3D Printed Mask Frames Improve the Inward Protection Efficiency of a Cloth Mask

et al. 2021

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Here, we show that improving the fit of a cloth mask using a low-cost 3D-printed frame significantly improves its inward protection efficiency for airborne particles known to transmit SARS-CoV-2. We found that a 3D-printed flexible frame (i.e., brace) increased the inward protection efficiency of a cottonbased cloth mask by 13−43% for particles ranging in size from 0.5−2 μm relative to the efficiency obtained in the absence of the frame. For example, the use of a flexible form-fitting frame increased the inward protection efficiency for 0.5 and 1 μm particles by 31 and 40%, respectively. Rapid prototyping of the mask frame geometry and material properties was also highlighted for optimization of the facial contact area and mechanical matching. This work demonstrates the opportunity for leveraging additive manufacturing processes for rapid prototyping of personalized and form-fitting personal protective equipment components at home and at point-of-care settings, such as mask frames.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: ■ Materials and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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3D Printed Mask Frames Improve the Inward Protection Efficiency of a Cloth Mask

et al. 2021

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“…As of 21 October 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) database shows that out of 310,548 papers related to COVID-19, there are only 37 papers focusing on Kansas City. Most of those papers are associated with medical aspects of COVID-19 in Kansas City, MO [19][20][21][22][23]. The other papers relate to factors such as mask mandates [24,25], vaccine aspects and patient hospitalization [24,26].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Retrospective COVID-19 Spatial Clusters with Respect to Demographic Factors: Case Study of Kansas City, Missouri, United States

AlQadi

Bani-Yaghoub

Balakumar

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The United States (U.S.) has the highest number of reported COVID-19 infections and related deaths in the world, accounting for 17.8% of total global confirmed cases as of August 2021. As COVID-19 spread throughout communities across the U.S., it became clear that inequities would arise among differing demographics. Several researchers have suggested that certain racial and ethnic minority groups may have been disproportionately impacted by the spread of COVID-19. In the present study, we used the daily data of COVID-19 cases in Kansas City, Missouri, to observe differences in COVID-19 clusters with respect to gender, race, and ethnicity. Specifically, we utilized a retrospective Poisson spatial scan statistic with respect to demographic factors to detect daily clusters of COVID-19 in Kansas City at the zip code level from March to November 2020. Our statistical results indicated that clusters of the male population were more widely scattered than clusters of the female population. Clusters of the Hispanic population had the highest prevalence and were also more widely scattered. This demographic cluster analysis can provide guidance for reducing the social inequalities associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, applying stronger preventive and control measures to emerging clusters can reduce the likelihood of another epidemic wave of infection.

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“…However, their mask design uses 3D-printed silicone, which requires an expensive, specialized 3D printer, making it difficult for a home maker to print and use. Another group at the University of Kansas created the Kansas City mask, which, like the Moldable Mask, offers the use of thermoforming to improve the mask fit and uses liquid rubberized sealant to add cushion to the mask edge [24]. The authors state that their mask passed a qualitative fit test which relies on taste and smell to determine mask fit but do not state how many subjects they used.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moldable Mask: A Reusable, Hot Water Moldable, Additively Manufactured Mask to Be Used as an N95 Alternative

Martelly¹,

Li²,

Shimada³

2021

Materials

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There has been high demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially N95 respirators. Unfortunately, at the early stage of the pandemic, the supply could not meet the demand for N95 respirators, leading to a shortage and unsafe reuse of this form of PPE. We developed the Moldable Mask to ease the demand for N95 respirators by creating a 3D-printed mask that uses a piece of N95 material as a filter. A sheet of N95 material could be used or one N95 respirator to be turned into two masks. The main feature of the mask is the ability to easily mold it in hot water to create a custom fit for each user. It can also be easily assembled at home with affordable materials. The final mask design was qualitatively fit tested on 13 subjects, with all subjects showing an improvement in fit with the hot water molding technique and 10 (77%) subjects passing the fit test. This shows that the Moldable Mask is a viable option for a safe, affordable N95 alternative when N95 mask supply is strained.

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3D-Printed N95 Equivalent for Personal Protective Equipment Shortages: the Kansas City Mask

Cited by 5 publications

References 10 publications

3D Printed Mask Frames Improve the Inward Protection Efficiency of a Cloth Mask

3D Printed Mask Frames Improve the Inward Protection Efficiency of a Cloth Mask

Assessment of Retrospective COVID-19 Spatial Clusters with Respect to Demographic Factors: Case Study of Kansas City, Missouri, United States

Moldable Mask: A Reusable, Hot Water Moldable, Additively Manufactured Mask to Be Used as an N95 Alternative

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