MIT Spinout Uses 3D Printing to Create More Effective COVID-19 Nasal Swabs

Using a continuous manufacturing approach, the MIT spinout was able to scale up its printer production according to the increasing demand for its product. OPT Industries has now supplied more than 800,000 swabs to several different health care and at-home testing organizations, playing a crucial role in meeting hospitals shortages to ensure that testing can continue. “It’s very meaningful to be part of this effort,” Ou says. “It also feels particularly good because we’ve been developing materials with hairlike structures for a long time, so it’s like, ‘Aha, our expertise finally put to use!’”. He continues, “When it came to the swabs we thought, ‘Hey, that’s a great fit! Swabs need to be soft, flexible, the structures on the tip need to be very intricate. That’s what we do.”

Not only have these swabs played a crucial role in aiding the supply shortage crisis, but they also provide a better solution to traditionally manufactured swabs. In fact, the tiny woven lattices that Ou developed during his time at MIT allow OPT’s swabs to absorb and release more fluid than their conventionally manufactured counterparts, and thus provide more accurate tests. OPT’s swabs release 20 times the amount of bacteria for testing, increasing the sensitivity of the tests. “We’re trying to be like [the multinational products company] 3M in additive manufacturing,” Ou says. “Everyone knows 3M because they have a lot of different products that are essential to daily life. That’s the model we’re going after. We have other medical and cosmetic products under development — the swab is just the beginning.”