Antimicrobial 3D Printed Objects in the Fight Against Pandemics

Abstract

The uncharted nature of the Covid-19 pandemic has caused uncertainty globally, resulting in many healthcare professionals and key-workers being left with supply shortages in medical consumables and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), exacerbated by supply line issues and in some cases delays resulting from governmental policies. 3D printing (3DP) has played an important role in providing essential items to hospitals and the wider communities, such as visors, facemasks and ventilator components. This short-review manuscript covers the potential of antimicrobial materials in the manufacturing of 3DP essential products, as an approach for added protection against pandemics.

Embracing Additive Manufacturing Technology through Fused Filament Fabrication for Antimicrobial with Enhanced Formulated Materials

“…Furthermore, it is noteworthy to state that due to the sudden rise in the COVID-19 pandemic, extensive researches worldwide have been conducted focusing on the production and development of antimicrobial material just in the span of a year [ 87 , 88 , 89 , 90 ]. More and more focus has been provided on the fabrication of antimicrobial surfaces with the incorporation of polymeric base along with additives [ 18 , 46 , 91 , 92 , 93 ].…”

TCID50 Measurements of anti-viral efficacy on metal printed masks and plastic surfaces

“…Both the copper and silver-copper printed fabric were found to be significantly more cytotoxic than the control fabric and the silver-printed fabric. Previous literature has found copper to be more cytotoxic than silver, even though it does carry advantages in expense and abundance (40). Interestingly, this trend of copper cytotoxicity was not seen in the PET material, which may be due to differences in the porosity of the material or printing method.…”

3D Printed Hollow Microneedles for Treating Skin Wrinkles Using Different Anti-Wrinkle Agents: A Possible Futuristic Approach

“…Furthermore, stereolithography (SLA) printers have significantly higher efficiency than conventional two-photon polymerization (TPP) printers and can print submillimeter/ centimeter-scale elements with larger construct volumes, greater height, and faster print durations, such as 15 min for a comparable 6 mm in length [119,120]. Transdermal medication delivery devices can be quickly prototyped and customized to satisfy the demands of a specific patient and combine this with the lower price and lightness of commercially accessible SLA printers [121].…”