Additive manufacturing companies big and small help during the coronavirus pandemic

3D Systems is working with others to increase the production of swabs used to check for COVID-19. 3DS

There have been plenty of stories recently about hobbyists and small manufacturing firms setting aside their existing workload in favor of producing face shields and other PPE, often funding this work at their own expense. These are noble efforts, to be sure, but what happens when a global leader in 3D printing equipment and supplies applies its formidable resources to support pandemic-related manufacturing efforts?

A lot.

Menno Ellis, senior vice president and general manager for the plastics business unit at 3D Systems, Rock Hill, S.C., said the need to help in any way possible became evident early on. “The first step was to assure the health and safety of 3D Systems’ employees, followed by protection of the company’s supply chain and that of its customers,” he said. “Immediately after addressing these concerns, company management began looking for ways to assist health care workers and first responders, as well as the broader global community.”

The results thus far have been impressive. Benjamin Johnson, the director of product development for 3D Systems’ health care business unit, pointed to several notable examples of the company’s COVID-19 work. The most important—at least from a life-saving perspective—are several projects undertaken by the company’s On Demand team to produce thousands of ventilator parts from medical-grade nylon using selective laser sintering.

The 3D Systems website lists additional projects, with more in the works. These include printing face shields, surgical masks, N95 respirators, and ventilator splitters, many with build-files that anyone can download and use to manufacture products for their own needs.

The 3DS team also created simulation and training tools for health care professionals who are using ultrasound technology to diagnose patients with COVID-19.

One of the most recent manufacturing efforts focuses on a product that’s been in the news a great deal in recent weeks: the nasopharyngeal (NP) swab. The shortage of these swabs is hampering large-scale testing efforts. Though the material and process needed to make the swabs were still being validated as of this writing, initial results indicate that a single 3DS Figure 4 Production printer can produce nearly 20,000 autoclavable, biocompatible swabs per week.

“We have deployed many of our people, leveraging their health care and manufacturing knowledge to design products, vet them internally and—where practical—make the information available to the public via our website,” Johnson said. “We’re also actively collaborating with organizations such as the National Institutes of Health, America Makes, the Veterans Administration, and others, helping them to accelerate design iterations and get PPE and other products available quickly.”

Other profiles in our COVID-19 Coverage:

• Footwear manufacturer Superfeet Worldwide

• Idaho 3D printing farm Slant 3D

The On Demand team at 3D Systems works to fill orders for PPE. 3DS

• Owner of Innovative Technical Resource Group

• Two Canadian 3D printing companies, VanDerZwaag Machining & Development and InkSmith