Disadvantage of the FDM method for printing protective masks against COVID-19 and solution

IFAC Pap OnLine. 2022;55(4):13-18. doi: 10.1016/j.ifacol.2022.06.002. Epub 2022 Jul 20.

Abstract

Outages in the supply of basic medical supplies and protective equipment have led to efforts to replace them. The team of BUT employees and students has developed a protective half mask that can also be printed on a standard 3D printer without the use of special materials. The original half mask is intended as an improvised protection that can be easily printed on standard 3D printers with FDM technology. Problematic possibilities of sealing the entire surface of the print due to its porosity were solved with the help of a nitrile examination glove. Commonly available equipment is enough to produce this half mask.

Keywords: 3D FDM method; 3D printed mask; COVID-19 mask; Protective half-mask; filtration material.