TECHNOLOGY COVID-19 NEWS
NEWS
9 May 2020 / www.theengineer.co.uk
3D printer
network
produces PPE
University pools resources to provide vital kit
Engineers at the University of
Wolverhampton are utilising
a network of 3D printers
to produce headbands and
face-shields for frontline
staff treating patients in the West
Midlands.
Using Prusa 3D printing
machines from sources including
the Telford Innovation Campus,
staff from the University’s School
of Engineering have collaborated
to perfect a fast and streamlined
manufacturing process for
headbands using Polyethylene
terephthalate glycol modifi ed
(PETG). As a part of the social
distancing policy, some staff are
printing headbands from
home, using University
equipment or personal 3D
printers.
When the headbands
are printed, a transparent
plastic visor, cut to shape
using the School of Engineering’s
Zund cu ing table, is added to the
front, creating a protective face
shielding barrier.
Graham Sparey-Taylor from the
University’s School of Engineering
is leading on the production of the
visors and co-ordinating volunteers.
Paul Bates, Business and
Technical Resources Manager at
the School of Engineering, said two
Scottish fi rms united in defence of medics
Cranfi eld University and Georgia Tech
have designed and built a low-cost
ventilator to help critically ill COVID-19
patients.
The Bag Valve Mask (BVM) ventilator
serves two patients simultaneously and
its so-called ‘fl at-pack’ design means it
can be quickly manufactured at scale at
under £75 ($100) per unit.
The ventilator can be linked to an
oxygen generator, positive end expiratory
pressure (PEEP) valves and fi lters. The
units derive power from standard wall
adapters or 12V vehicle batteries.
The ventilator device works with
‘positive displacement’, forcing air into
the patient’s lungs, a process that has
to be controlled to ensure the right
amount of air goes in at the right ‘tidal
volume’. JF
JASON FORD reports
JASON FORD reports
Read more about ba eries at
www.theengineer.co.uk
Urgent PPE equipment is
being delivered to a hospital
in Scotland following a
collaborative eff ort to design and
manufacture face-shields.
In one week, Inverness
companies 4c Engineering and
Aseptium designed and manufactured 1,000 faceshields
destined for the ICU unit at Raigmore Hospital.
The companies have combined design and rapid
manufacturing capabilities and on March 20, 2020 they
contacted Raigmore with an off er of help during the
Covid-19 pandemic.
Peter MacDonald, Project Manager at 4c
Engineering, told The Engineer that the off er was
accepted by Raigmore’s ICU unit within 48 hours,
prompting the start of Project Corran, which has
since released the face-shield design for open-source
manufacture.
CRANFIELD AND
GEORGIA TECH ROLLOUT
FLAT PACK BVM
VENTILATOR
ENGINEERING COLLABORATION
DELIVERS COVID-19 FACE-SHIELDS
versions - 3DVerkstan and RC3 –
have been produced, but the team
will concentrate on RC3 models.
Cura and PrusaSlicer software
packages have been used to develop
and run the print machines and
Autodesk Inventor has been used to
modify designs.
“We’re using the RC3 design
at Telford, with any CAD work
performed on Solidworks,” Bates
said via email. “Both versions are
open source.”
According to the University,
PETG can be sterilised and
reused, unlike many of the
current headbands that are being
discarded after three hours of use
by frontline workers.
A shipment of 50 visors
has been delivered to
Wolverhampton’s New Cross
hospital, and 90 more have been
delivered to community nurses.
Almost 400 masks have been
printed so far, with many more due.
With more 3D printers being
made available to the School of
Engineering by their industrial
contacts and collaborators, the
team are hoping to get as many
as 30 printers running in a 24
hour production process, with a
machine making nine headbands
per hour, and the potential to make
over 1,500 headbands every 24
hours, provided there is enough
PETG.
face-
The design brief saw the team
working toward a simple method
of providing face protection
that would be robust, secure,
comfortable and could be rapidly
manufactured in volume.
Within a week, the team
had sourced materials, refi ned
the design and had its fi rst prototype
accepted by Raigmore ICU and Infection Control staff ,
prompting the production of 1,000 face-shields over the
course of a weekend.
“Whilst we are generally happy with the NHS
supply chain, at times of great demand…there can
be interruptions or shortages. We were delighted to
be approached by 4c Engineering, who were able to
source materials locally, and produce much needed
protective visors,” said Dr. Jonathan Whiteside, Clinical
Lead, Department of Critical Care at Raigmore. “These
have been put to immediate clinical use in our ICU,
providing staff with the necessary protection.”
/www.theengineer.co.uk
/www.theengineer.co.uk