One of the biggest challenges amid the many challenges of the coronavirus outbreak is the need for PPE or personal protective equipment. This is vital for NHS staff, care home workers and others who are coming into contact with the infected to help them reduce the risk of contracting the virus.
But now 3D printing companies, tech firms and even enthusiasts are looking at the problem from the view of what their equipment can do and wondering if there is a solution there. Could it be that the shortage of PPE could be eased by using 3D printing? And could this even extend to some more complex hospital medical supplies?
The citizen supply chain
With the demand for PPE at the highest ever levels, we have seen what is often called the ‘citizen supply chain’ come into action. Here everything from homemade face masks to homemade 3D printed materials are being produced to help friends and loved ones working in high-risk areas.
3d printed kit is relatively inexpensive to produce in terms of the materials needed and the time factor is a short one – some items can be made in a matter of a couple of hours for a hobbyist. And for a 3D printing company with top-notch equipment, the time is reduced even more.
But is this the solution to the problem of PPE shortages?
The problem with 3D printed PPE
The main problem is that people don’t completely understand 3D printing and where the technology is at. They think it is like something from a sci-fi show where you tap into a computer the name of what you want, and the 3D printer creates it.
While there are already a huge number of uses for 3D printing, there are also limitations and issues to be considered in its use. This is why 3D printing companies haven’t been volunteering wide scale to create PPE for the NHS.
The main issue is that there is no guidance as to the use of 3D printed medical supplies from the NHS and this means that healthcare workers are unsure if they are permitted to use it.
Another example is the MHRA, who oversees medical equipment, have guidelines on the manufacture of PPE during the epidemic. But not all face masks, for instance, are considered to be medical supplies under this.
3D printed materials
Another issue with the idea is that there is a range of different materials that can be printed from 3D printers. Materials vary in price, quality and suitability for the job at hand. Get the wrong material and the material could be more porous than would be ideal. This could make it harder to clean or just not suitable for the job required.
For many 3d printing companies, another issue is the CE Kitemark. This is the European safety standard that acts as a quality benchmark for many products. While there are lots of templates and patterns being shared for PPE across the 3d printing enthusiast community, none of these designs has this mark. This means that businesses cannot sell the product, even at cost price.
Sterilisation of products
For people relying on PPE to protect them from this virus, sterilisation is another big issue. There’s no way to know how sterile a product is, how it was made and packages and this means they can only use it once, if at all.
However, some companies are already working to overcome this issue. One firm made 600 face shields for healthcare works with 3D printed frames, visors made from laser cutting and some elastic. They were sent to social workers, paramedics and GP practices.
While the cost of the materials was less than £2 per shield, the equipment used costs thousands to buy in the first place so companies can’t just casually invest in this. However, the company were also able to manufacture in a controlled environment and a cleaning process that deactivated Covid-19.
Worth the risk
For 3D printing hobbyists, the urge to help is worth the risk of things not being quite to the standard that is required for the NHS. One small company is also making face shields and is handing them to community nurses and midwives working in their area. Their view is that while the product may not be 100% perfect, it is much better than having nothing.
Another example came from Italy where a company 3D printed ventilator tubes for a badly hit hospital in Brescia. The tubes could only be used for 8 hours at a time, but they filled a gap when a regular supplier was unable to provide tubes.
In emergencies, these 3D printed alternatives are a lifesaver but there’s still some way to go before the 3D printing industry can step in and make a big difference to the PPE situation.
