Optimization of community-led 3D printing for the production of protective face shields

Abstract

Background As the healthcare system faced an acute shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of 3D printing technologies became an innovative method of increasing production capacity to meet this acute need. Due to the emergence of a large number of 3D printed face shield designs and community-led PPE printing initiatives, this case study examines the methods and design best optimized for community printers who may not have the resources or experience to conduct such a thorough analysis. Case presentation We present the optimization of the production of 3D printed face shields by community 3D printers, as part of an initiative aimed at producing PPE for healthcare workers. The face shield frames were manufactured using the 3DVerkstan design and were coupled with an acetate sheet to assemble a complete face shield. Rigorous quality assurance and decontamination protocols ensured community-printed PPE was satisfactory for healthcare use. Conclusion Additive manufacturing is a promising method of producing adequate face shields for frontline health workers because of its versatility and quick up-start time. The optimization of stacking and sanitization protocols allowed 3D printing to feasibly supplement formal public health responses in the face of a global pandemic.

3D Printing in Eye Care

“…Large corporations such as Nike, Ford, and Apple have printed large quantities using their existing equipment [ 175 ]. Manufacturers such as Prusa, YouMagine, and 3DVerkstan have made their software open-source [ 171 , 173 ]. The low cost and ease of production mean that institutions may continue to print PPE even as global supplies recover [ 172 ].…”

Evaluation of 3D-Printer Settings for Producing Personal Protective Equipment

“…Face shields, specifically those printed from polylactic acid (PLA) polymer, have the additional advantage of being chemically sterilizable and reusable, which frees essential workers from further reliance on conventional supply chains for single-use versions of this article of PPE [27]. Members of the 3D-printing and healthcare communities have begun initiatives to print the headband components themselves for distribution in the community to circumvent the scarcity of conventionally manufactured supplies due to disruptions and shortages [28][29][30]. Such initiatives have been recognized at the institutional, local and national scale in countries like the UK [31][32][33].…”

Customized protective visors enabled by closed loop controlled 4D printing

“…As the most commonly 3D printed protective equipment, face shields, or visors, are composed of two simple parts: the 3D printed visor frame and a transparent film 6 , 7 . The visor frame is designed to be 3D printed directly without using any support material and the transparent film is in the size of the A4 paper and can be easily accessed from any stationery store.…”

“…However, most of the open source models of the visor frames are mono-sized. They are designed with moderate sizes to fit the majority of people 7 , 13 , 14 , which as a result causes some uncomfortable wearing experiences especially for long term usage. Although 3D printing has customizable and adaptive manufacturing ability, it is unpractical to design and printing customized visors with individual sizes for every user.…”