DOST-ITDI 3D-prints respirators, ventilator parts for COVID-19 cases

The Department of Science and Technology-Industrial Technology Development Institute (DOST-ITDI) developed prototypes of 3D-printed respirator venturi valves for use in the treatment of COVID 19 patients.

In a statement, the DOST-ITDI said it had delivered two prototypes to the National Children’s Hospital in Quezon City on April 14, 2020, to test the printed valves' fit in their existing respirator.

Respirator venturi valves are commonly used by hospitals worldwide as they can be used for a maximum of eight hours at a time. The valves connect patients in intensive care units to breathing machines.

The DOST-ITDI's Materials Platform for Additive Manufacturing Project (MATDEV), headed by Team Leader and Materials Science Division Chief Dr. Blessie Basilia, used Fused Deposition Modeling and Markforged Mark Two 3D printers to develop the prototypes to assist hospitals as they easily run out of respirator valves.

The MATDEV team was also working on 3D printing prototypes of parts for the Multiple Patient Ventilator Splitter and Mechanic Ventilator- Mini-War Zone, as ventilators were listed by the DOH as among the badly needed equipment for COVID-19 treatment.

Additionally, the team was also improving nebulizer mask designs by developing a 3D printed filter attachments for use in commercially available masks, such as the Modified Oxygen Concentrator Mask.

The MATDEV team was also producing a 3D printed prototype of an N95 mask and was considering some improvements for its optimum functionality by using nano-enabled filament material, an anti-viral filter cloth, and adding a flexible lining on the edges of the mask. — DVM, GMA News