As stockpiles of critical medical supplies, especially personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators, quickly dwindle as cases of coronavirus rapidly spread, intrepid manufacturers, doctors, and others are stepping up to share their designs, files, and suggested medical equipment hacks to enable widespread, innovative production of these supplies.
Here are a few examples of files and designs now available for free online.
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3D Printed Face Shield Designs, Models Available for Free
Many manufacturers, seeing the increased demand for face shields and pivoting their production to support the industry-wide efforts, have released their design files to enable other facilities to also begin production.
- Face shield and Avid optimized face shield 3D printing designs are now available for free online from HP
- Bauer, a manufacturer of ice hockey equipment, skates, and apparel, has released design files for face shields to allow other manufacturers to utilize their designs to produce more essential medical supplies.
- Budmen Industries has made their files publicly available to support increased production of face shields. The free files include 3D models, templates, and assembly instructions.
- Open-source face shield drawings and designs are also available from Badger Shield.
Face Mask Patterns Available for Free
- Stopgap face mask (SFM) 3D printed designs are available fromHP
- A number of different websites are now offering free patterns to make face masks:
- Freesewing.org
- Sew It Online
- Masks for Heroes (includes video tutorial)
- UnityPoint Health
- Once sewn,Vanderbilt University Medical Center offers helpful adviceon how to donate your handmade supplies.
Face Mask Adjuster
- A pattern is also now available to3D print a face mask strap holderto reduce ear strain for healthcare workers who constantly wear mask straps around their ears. The free designhas been approvedby the National Institute of Health.
- HP also releaseda 3D printed design for a face mask adjuster.
Ventilator Design Specs Shared to Increase Production
- MIT has shared its ~$500 emergency ventilator design with the public in hopes of increasing ventilator production worldwide.
- Medtronic isallowing public access to the design specificationsfor the Puritan Bennett™ 560 (PB 560) to enable the industry to assist in rapid ventilator manufacturing to help the front lines dealing with COVID-19.
Respirators
NIH 3D Print Exchangehas a variety of respirator, face shield, and other 3D printed medical supply designs available.
Wrist Covers
HP released3D printing designs for a sterilizable wrist cover device, which was created to cover exposed skin between a healthcare professional’s glove and their lab coat sleeve. (Currently, healthcare providers are using double gloves to cover this space but due to the limited supply of gloves, this cover is a better alternative.)
Hands-Free Door Opener
HP published designs for two3D printed door openers– one to be attached to a door handle, the other to be held in the user’s hand as a personal opener, to limit the transfer of germs on door handles with frequent use.
Emergency Ventilator Masks Made From Snorkels and 3D Printed Parts
Dr. Renato Favero, a former head physician in Italy, created an improvised ventilator mask from a snorkel mask and 3D printed parts (scroll to bottom of page for file download). Favero quickly shared his idea with Issinnova, an independent Italian research institute also known as the Institute of Studies for the Integration of Systems. The team got in touch with Decathlon, the maker of the Easybreath snorkel mask, which was willing to share its CAD files for the mask. With information in hand, the team quickly designed a 3D printed part, known as the Charlotte valve, that can connect directly to a ventilator.
While the invention is still in testing stages, files are available for free online and can be used in emergency situations. Considering the dangerous shortage of ventilators – and the more widespread availability of snorkel masks and access to 3D printers – this respiratory system could be a useful hack for hospitals worldwide.
Doctor Uses DIY Ventilator Hack to Treat More Patients Simultaneously
Dr. Alain Gauthier, an anesthetist at the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital in Ontario, Canada, taught himself how to hack a single-patient ventilator into one capable of treating multiple patients simultaneously by watching Youtube videos created years ago by U.S.-based doctors.
By running multiple hoses from a single ventilator, doctors can aid more patients using the same machine. Patients should have similar lung size and capacity to share the ventilator.
Other Medical Supply Design Files Available
The group COVID Community Response aims to create a database and connect owners of 3D printers with hospitals that urgently need medical supplies. The group’s website also includes a database of STL files along with instructions for creating face masks, face shields, ventilators, and other equipment.
Homemade Hand Sanitizers Tutorials
A number of groups are also publishing plans and approaches for creating your own hand sanitizers at home, including:
- The World Health Organization
- Healthline
- Bridge – Michigan Health Watch
