Foreign 3D printing media have also been paying attention to the progress of 3D printing companies, organizations and individuals in using 3D printing technology to combat COVID-19, and constantly updating it. Antarctic Bear has also been paying close attention to these developments recently, providing more references for the domestic. Let’s look at the latest progress on April 24, 2020.
The University of Michigan and Michigan Medical College have designed a 3D-printable personalized ventilator shunt device, which can customize air pressure for multiple patients from one ventilator unit. VentMI device solves the most critical problem of COVID-19 ventilation shunt, i.e. each patient needs a specific pressure rate for effective treatment.

VentMI tool is inspired by the water tank regulator, which can control the pressure of compressed air, so that each patient can receive specific treatment without causing a patient to suffer lung trauma due to excessive air or pressure. According to the University of Michigan, the price of the device will be about 1/100 of the price of the new ventilator and the capacity of the ventilator will double.

The device has been tested on pigs and has been approved by FDA for emergency use. The patented equipment will be produced by Autocam Medical and sold and distributed by Michigan start-up MakeMedical. The University of Michigan will obtain royalties through product licensing. However, VentMI will be sold to medical institutions at cost so that these partners will not benefit financially from the equipment during the crisis.
Origin’s 3D printed nasopharynx swab is part of the successful clinical trial of SARS-CoV-2 detection. Its 3D printed nasopharynx swab has signed an agreement with Stratasys to promote Origin NP O1 swab to medical institutions and detection centers in the United States. According to the partners, Origin One 3D printers can produce 1,500 swabs at a time, and multiple machines may produce 190,000 swabs per day or 1.3 million swabs per week.

Community Health Network, a healthcare network in Indiana, has an interesting story about the current demand for personal protective equipment (PPE). Mark Nix, the group’s desktop technician, originally used his desktop printer to make face masks, but now he has turned to ear protectors, which are devices that prevent the ears of medical staff wearing face masks all day from being worn. In addition to making 200 such tools every day, the Knicks also worked with 30 other medical personnel to expand his scope of work.
In Philadelphia, a coalition of hospital, university, manufacturer, government and small business representatives is providing personal protective equipment to local medical institutions. The organization called “CoverAid PHL” has so far provided 4500 masks to 13 organizations. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the group’s work is that these masks are not made in 3D printing, which indicates that masks with low technology content may often be more suitable than high-tech solutions. The team is using a widely accepted standard design to sew fabric masks.
As the epidemic continues to engulf the world, we will continue to provide regular updates on what the 3D printing community is doing. As always, we should always keep safety in mind and maintain a critical attitude towards the potential marketing and economic benefits behind the seemingly good humanitarian efforts of enterprises.
Compiled from: 3dprint