There are going to be shortages nationwide soon of plastic parts for respirators and other odds n ends medical personnel will need. It is our civic duty to ensure our hospitals have what they need to keep people alive over greedy profits/patents over the next 2-3 months. Is there a repository for medical device files that can be accessed by the smartest minds in the room?
I'm sure you have all seen this:
We also need a way for the people working in these places to ask for items. But the lockdown of info from hospitals will be a big hurdle.
Damn the consequences. Lives are at stake, here. Health over profits!
Agreed - can we make a portal on GrabCAD to match up the users with the need and the design/fab folks? something like this portal I am involved with to match mechanical makers with people with disabilities
I hope so! Great idea.
My first post so I'm not sure how to get things going... Keep the ideas coming!
I thinks the groups are sufficient enough for the things. BUT: I think you are true on the fact that some countries need help on part designs. but as mentioned in the article: Every machine is diffrent. I think if we are really open in this group and if people simply upload a picture with a few measurments/ Use the job group for a search to the right person i think this won't be a more difficult situation than it already is.
Hi Folks, I may be a bit late to the party. Didn't know about this discussion. About a hour ago (18 March 2020 3PM) I sent an email to start a "Challenge" for members to design respirators in printable and non-printable categories.
I hope GrabCAD rises to the occasion to motivates people to help each other.
So far this seems to be practical, keeping in mind that our members with 3D-Printers have to be able to print and give away.
I'M NOT MUCH ON DESIGNING YET BUT I WILL DO MY PART AS A 3D PRINTER OWNER TO MAKE WHAT I CAN AND IF SOMEONE GETS OR MAKES THE FILES TO PRINT ILL BE RUNNING .
Just keep in mind everybody, if there data about the design of the plastic parts needed. it would be more eficient to print reusable casting forms to produce a lot of parts in a short time using resin and anti-stick spray.
I do share your enthusiasm, but also with all the capabilitys a shared makers project would have, beware that the parts you would produce would decide if someone dies if the part fails. Docs and Nurses are no technicians with the ability for quality control of your parts, and they also cant keep checkin if the parts didnt brake during their usage. If you give away spareparts, the user will rely on it.
Improvised Parts can save lives, but they can also kill you in false saveness feelings. If a buch of producers finds together here, it would be necessary to have a central collection station for the parts, with experts about the machine (like a service technician) to pre quality check the parts you build. Mind that e.g. a smaller hole only with 1mm tolerance kan have massive influence on the airstream and machine settings that have to be run.
If you have contact to a local University or Tech College, contact lab engineers or other people that have to pause their teaching work now anyways to help bundle capabilitys and organize local groups to check quality and save lives efficiently
Let's not forget that we are discussing medical devices. It is one thing to prototype a device for testing, but it borders on medical malpractice to think nurses and doctors are going to accept 3D printed parts from Internet strangers, and use those devices on patients.
Before a printed device could be used, it would need to be sterilized. Many 3D printed parts can't survive this process due to the pressure, temperature, or chemical(s) used. A process like FDM is even harder to sterilize due to porosity between layers, and rough surface finish.
Hospitals might be better off sterilizing the real parts for re-use. But, there are bound to be reasons why they are not already doing so
Who will be blamed when a patient dies because a printed part broke, or got dislodged because it didn't fit/function correctly?
This process may help save people, but it won't console the family of someone that dies because of a badly designed/printed part.
Before firing up the 3D printers, let's insure that someone is willing to use the parts produced.
I am in agreement with FredSWUG -We have to inform the end users that this is meant to be used as a last resort and only
in emergencies.
I have printed sample cups out of PETG. They don't even hold water. If printed material can be permeable to water, virus has a great chance of penetrating it as well.
Spraying the finished product with clear coat of paint may seal it, but then you have the residual smell and chemicals in the paint to deal with.
Luckily, one of my business partner is nearly done with the designing of this valve:
We will 3D print this and donate to hospitals in need.
This seems to be different from the one in the news?
I am humbled at the generosity and thoughtfulness of this group of talented people! Your time and skill will save lives. God speed all.
FredSWUG, those are all great points. This information will get people discussing ways in which to overcome those obstacles.
As for liability, when there are makeshift tent/hotel hospitals with people on the verge of expiration, & PPE is stretched, I doubt anyone is going to fault anyone for a hail mary. And that is what this is, and no more. It is a stop gap to prevent further triage. Please help as you see fit.
We thank you for starting this thread. Good people are plentiful.
Please remember everyone that 3D printed material does not seal against small airborne particulates.
Is there a resilient food grade sealer that an item can be dipped in? Silicone? I know these are precision parts... thinking outloud here. :)
I agree with Fred's very reasonable take. There is a reason why 3D Printed parts are not widely used in Food and Medical industry. They have different requirements and standards that has to be fulfilled. Prototypes are a different thing. There are medical grade materials available but I am sure it is not available to hobbyists.
It is very thoughtful and helpful for the community to come forward to help the society when in need, but we must not lose overview of its cons.
As someone pointed out, as a very last ditch effort, yes. Otherwise it can lead to chaos and malpractice.
In my opinion, this valve is not touching skin or implanted, regular thermoplastic should be safe enough, it's a valve after all, the airtight issue of 3D printed part is a prior concern. We should avoid using FDM unless surface is coated and sealed properly, print with SLS/MJF nylon or SLA resin instead.
Indeed, SLS or perhaps metal printing might be a good way to avoid the airtightness issue, even if it limits the amount of manufacturing locations.
Or as mentioned by Raphael Roth, printing a cast, and using that.
While it's definitely not a shape that's very friendly/easy to molds/casts, it might be a good way to fix the airtightness issue, and surface finish.
As well as giving possibility to a range of other materials it could be made from!
It looks like this valve is intended to mix O2 with inhaled air right? You can FDM print the one in the link in about 1 hour or less. You can make them fast enough to change them out once or twice a day. Dip in alcohol and let dry. It seems 70c for 10 min kills/destroys most viruses and a lot of filaments can be baked at 70C for quite a long time to sanitize. Seems like some expect this plastic part to BE sanitary and STAY sanitary as if it's going to be reused. Throw it away and grab another maybe every day or even 12 hours.
I think the liability questions can be inferred through this?
https://www.providence.org/lp/100m-masks#containwithkindness
2 things. I would love to help out. and two i have a 3d printer aswell just need to do some work on it. The filament is not sticking to the buildplate creating warpage. if anyone can fix that on an ender 3 pro I would love to help print parts out for people. :)
What filament are you using? And have you applied capton tape or 3M masking tape to the build plate?
What filament are you using? And have you applied capton tape or 3M masking tape to the build plate?
I personally have had quite good buildplate adhesion (on a glass buildplate) with simple PrittStick, followed by a moist wipe of paper towel to spread, level, and thin it. (UMO+, PLA, unheated bed (so ~18°C), 200°C head)
(PrittStick to my knowledge is not-toxic, however that might be different if you try to breath through a device containing it.)
Though printing on painter's tape/masking tape/* tape, in my experience has also gone quite decent, though (in my experience) it tends to warp or unstick later in the print.
Or (depending on material) you might want to try:
1) Lower the speed for the first (few) layers.
2) Lowering the print temperature slightly for the first layer, so it solidifies faster, thus more chance it adheres, and less chance it gets dragged along.
3) Heating the buildplate, or not heating the buildplate, the opposite of what you currently are doing.
But buildplate adhesion is a topic discussed by many, in many ways and places. And there does not seem to be a one-size fits all solution (or at least to my knowledge, and I might be wrong).
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4233836
I designed this support for machine of take a breath. This is printable for 3D print machines. Pipe diametre 6mm also can change. I drew with Solidworks cad program. I hope can be usefully. I'm under the quarantine at now 10 days. That's why I cant print for test. please do someone can test?
PLA. and no I have not tried that. I will have to try it. Thank you.
Thanks for the tips. I will have to do some testing.
Is there a .stl file of it?
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