Month: March 2020

3d printed fdm respirators/masks. an appeal to the community

3d printed fdm respirators/masks for the purpose of protection from covid19 are dangerous. Industry leaders, and health organizations are now warning against their use under any circumstance. The original two popular designs floating around have now both amended their sites to include heavy legal liability disclaimers that include statement advising that they are not to be used. Posts are popping up every few hours, and this will only increase as popularity and desperate demand grows in the coming weeks.​Concerns;​most fdm 3d printed materials are porous and can not be properly sanitized or decontaminated. The humid, warm environment present inside the mask while in use, likely promotes bacterial growth. attempts to seal the mask using common fdm finishing techniques uses chemicals that are are not intended to be inhaled.hard printed shells will not allow for proper face seal as it is not conducive with articulation of facial structures that take place throughout normal activity. Lack of proper seal and successful fit test, results in no protection from airborne viral agents3d printing process is highly susceptible to failures that will result in lack of air tight prints. results are not repeatable from one print to the next, let alone from one printer to the next, and the ease of printing removes the barrier to entry required to ensure safe or sterile resultshome made filter solutions are often not sealed or improper filter material. Fiberglass, cotton pads, surgical masks, and even cut up n95 respirators will not work, and are likely to be dangerous. The lack an appropriate filter sealing mechanism, or the reduced filter surface area that increases airflow pressure limits the effectiveness of the material.process controls from end to end ensuring the prevention of contamination are simply non-existent. This is the major issue. Medical grade equipment and supplies is controlled at every step from concept and design, to manufacturing, to packaging and delivery. Coupled with the inability to decontaminate these masks and the length of time covid19 can survive on hard plastic surfaces, it will not be long before a shipment of contaminated masks are distributed, right along with the virus they carry.particulate micro plastics. there is some talk about the negative impact that inhalation of material micro particles left over from the printing process has on the respiratory system.This is by no means a comprehensive list of concerns. manufacturing and distributing using the various 3d printed designs at this stage is irresponsible. We have a perfect storm for disaster here. A community that is accustomed to finding reasons to make use of their technology and eager for the 3d printing revolution to take part in saving the world in it’s time of need. Medical professionals that are relying on the 3d printing community to provide expert level consultation as they know nothing of the inherent risks surrounding the technology. Desperation of front line workers trying to save lives while dealing with equipment shortages during an unprecedented global pandemic. Rapid prototyping being deployed and distributed with little to no consultation with medical equipment engineers, manufacturers or the regulatory bodies that preside over current end to end controls all while completely disregarding the concerns with the common argument that “something is better then nothing.” this mentality is fostering a very dangerous false sense of security putting those who make use of these 3d printed fdm masks at risk of both becoming infected, and subsequently spreading that infection.We need to keep working the problem. It is dangerous and irresponsible to distribute these half-measures until ALL of the concerns surrounding this technology for this purpose can be addressed, tested, and the appropriately confirmed using the measures that are already in place and well established when it comes to medical equipment and supplies. ultimately, no medical grade equipment or supplies should be provided under any circumstance without first meeting the appropriate requirements. this is for the safety of everyone involved. The media has picked up on the idea of 3d printed masks hailing it as an ingenious technological solution. Medical professionals are begging anyone with a printer to get to work producing these. Individuals are coming to the community asking for your help to protect their loved ones. Do Not Fail Them by thinking this is a problem that can be solved in your non-sterile home work shop or office with a technology that has inherent risks. Have we forgotten? Let me remind you.something something food safe.Prusa blog postVideo discussing concerns – note; many of the same concerns apply to the authors design/process and a discussion can be found here.If anyone has more information or resources to add, comment them below and I will add them to this post as well as the copy/pasta. links are welcome. the more information the better.edit: screencap of copper3d warning & screencap of billings(or montana mask) warningedit: article and another concern – untested build up of co2 https://ift.tt/3bucxos