3D Printing vs COVID-19: The Most Exceptional Initiatives of the Pandemic

For years to come, 2020 will likely be remembered for the dramatic changes and loss of life that accompanied the pandemic. This year the 3D printing sector prevailed, first adapting, and shortly thereafter becoming a powerful force in the fight against COVID-19. From large industrial companies to small users of the maker community, people from across the sector joined the fight to bring the health crisis to an end. The applications of 3D printing technology proved profoundly important in this battle, and as this year draws to a close we wanted to look back at some of the most exceptional responses to the pandemic from the additive manufacturing industry. Here are some of the industry’s most outstanding innovations, divided into applications for the medical sector and solutions to prevent contagion in society.

3D printing for hospitals and health centers

Isolation rooms made with concrete

The first application of 3D printing in the fight against the COVID-19 occurred in late February when the Winsun company created isolation rooms using concrete extrusion. The aim of this initiative was to isolate people who had symptoms or tested positive for coronavirus. In the absence of space in China’s hospitals, additive manufacturing was the fastest way to reduce the spread of the virus in the country. The isolation rooms had an area of 10 meters squared and a height of 2.8 meters. Each isolation room was constructed in under two hours using a robotic arm mounted on rails installed around the construction site deposited successive layers of concrete ensuring structural stability.

Concrete isolation rooms in Xianning, China.

3D printed respirator valves

When the coronavirus first reached Europe, Italy was one of the most affected countries. Many hospitals were overcrowded and lacked sanitary equipment needed to save the patients in the most severe condition. Upon learning that a hospital in Chiari had a shortage of ventilator valves, the Italian company Issinova, took the problem into their own hands. Realizing that 3D printing was the most efficient solution, Issinova began to additively manufacture the necessary amount of valves for the health centers that needed them. Later, the manufacturer Photocentric also launched mass production of respiratory valves for several countries. Thanks to their resin machines and their high manufacturing speed, they were able to develop more than 40,000 valves per week using 3D printing.