Emerging Applications of 3D Printing During CoVID 19 Pandemic

With its versatility, wide availability, and a worldwide active community of enthusiasts, scientists, engineers, and physicians, 3D printing has demonstrated practical value and potential in providing stopgap solutions to shortages of key equipment. Despite enthusiastic support for 3D printing to meet some equipment shortages, the effectiveness of practical implementation of such prototypes has been variable. In this work, we draw on the practical experiences of our groups in Canada and in the United States that used 3D printing for pandemic-related equipment shortages. We describe challenges and solutions for implementing and coordinating programs for 3D printing response in addressing shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), specialized equipment for intubation and respiratory support, and development of simpler hardware to extend the lifecycle and applications of existing equipment.

Global shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) have been at the forefront of public attention throughout the recent crisis. Initial lack of information regarding the route of transmission of the virus fuelled panic buying of face masks and gloves, as well as shortages in healthcare facilities. Home-made cloth masks have become commonplace, and makers have seized upon opportunities to increase capacity by producing PPE with 3D printing. Mask designs typically incorporate flexible filament face pieces with an integrated filter, but devices to improve the fit of simple surgical face masks have also been produced, and are not burdened with such strict testing requirements. Manufacture of face shields has been a triumph for the 3D printing community, with the availability of highly optimised and tested designs which are printable on most domestic machines, comfortable to use, and keep production time to a minimum. Across the globe, these devices have been manufactured locally and delivered to nearby hospitals by volunteers. Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred development in the field of distributed manufacturing, the long-awaited holy grail of home 3D printing. In the following chapter, we provide an overview of currently available 3D printed PPE, reviewing the designs for durability, ease of use, and clinical effectiveness, as well as exploring future directions for PPE manufacture by 3D printing.

The unprecedented global COVID-19 pandemic has fuelled an explosion of attempts to manufacture open-source ventilators, diagnostic equipment, and personal protective equipment by both individuals and companies. The initial and well-publicised success of Insinnova’s 3D printed venturi ventilator valve to boost supply, as well as global panic regarding the availability of intensive care unit ventilators, has led the open-source community to focus on this area when considering projects. However, patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome such as that caused by COVID-19 are notoriously difficult to ventilate, with clinical experience suggesting that even slight adjustments in ventilator pressures or modes can lead to a dramatic deterioration in already profoundly unstable patients. In the following chapter, we review strategies for the production of open-source and 3D printed solutions to critical care technology in response to the pandemic. We focus on open-source ventilators in this chapter, and discuss the positive and negative implications of open-source ventilator designs on clinical management of patients, as well as the highly discouraging prospect of ventilator splitting for management of multiple patients with a single ventilator. We discuss possible further opportunities in critical care technology for makers to explore, including haemofiltration devices, and infusion pumps.

In the era of digital world, due to constantly evolving medical technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI) propelled out of research labs into our everyday lives. Emerging developments in AI have an advantage in healthcare system as they will reduce the manual process performed by humans. Hence, AI is a game-changer in health care because when AI is combined with three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies it could increase the performance by reducing the risk of error and facilitating automated production. Nowadays, 3D printing has become an essential and potentially transformative approach to revolutionize health care rapidly. One of the objectives of this chapter is to present an overview of basic concepts of AI including machine learning, internet of things, cloud computing, and deep learning. The further dimensions will also describe types of 3D printing. A snapshot of stereolithography (SLA), which is the oldest and reliable approach in 3D printing is also described. The present chapter will also highlight the key healthcare trends impacting the 3D printing industry such as use of 3D printing to fight the pandemic outbreak COVID-19; regenerative medicine; eliminating the prerequisite for animal experimentation to confirm their efficacy and safety before human testing begins and personalized medicines. The last section encompasses key applications, challenges, and future of 3D printing, which will help the readers to understand that this emerging technology is becoming society’s most helpful tool and further may effectively use the information for their research endeavors.

This chapter deals with the emerging applications of 3D printing (3DP) technologies to tackle the recent pandemic, the Corona viral disease (COVID-19). The chapter throws light on the role of 3DP technologies and other allied hybrid technologies for the development of novel products to satiate the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as face shields, masks, eye protection devices, ventilator tubes, and other medical devices needed to tackle COVID-19. It also explicates the hybrid additive processes required to fabricate novel metal and ceramic based biomedical implants with inbuilt antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Also, in vitro lung tissue models, especially based on 3D bioprinting technology for the screening of novel anti-SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) therapies are also elaborated in-depth. Finally, 3DP technologies based bespoke drug delivery devices for personalized and on-demand drug dosing, complex drug release profiles, and polypills are discussed. To conclude, this chapter emphasizes the role of 3DP technologies in the development of novel emerging applications like antiviral property enriched biomedical implants, fabrication of PPE, in vitro lung tissue models, and finally personalized drug delivery devices, which could go a long way in tackling COVID-19 in an efficient manner.

The COVID-19 pandemic made a drastic impact on the human health and overall economy of the world. Other than health-related issues, the global healthcare structure was deeply affected due to an alarming imbalance in the demand-supply chain of critical medical equipment such as ventilators, quarantine closets, oxygen valves, protective equipment, etc., that support patients’ life during their battle against COVD-19. The field of 3D printing, or now commonly known as additive manufacturing (AM) has benefitted extremely by capitalizing on the increasing demand for manufacturing medical equipment. As a result, a vast number of start-ups have mushroomed up that are experimenting with various novel materials, techniques, and applications to build 3D printed products in quick turnaround time. Through this paper, we would highlight the propitious application of 3D printing in the biomedical engineering area. The chapter begins by addressing the fundamentals of 3D printing technologies and materials that shall be used to illustrate their whole system environmental impacts in later sections. This is followed by discussion over prominent countless initiatives that are being taken by multiple R&D centers, academic institutes, and various other corporations for the implementation of new technologies and materials to combat this pandemic. Further, the need for novel materials and the use of agricultural waste as compostable biomaterials for a circular economy has been discussed in detail. Aside to this, among the multiple 3D printing processes, a major focus has been on material extrusion, powder bed fusion, and material jetting techniques that are used for the medical sector based on current medical requirement, i.e., automatic door handle openers, face shields/masks, quarantine closets, ventilators, valves, etc. In the end, the conclusion will prove to be a stepping-stone for future research in this direction.

Dental profession is at a very critical conjecture owing to novel coronavirus sickness, COVID-19. Dentistry is a profession where healthcare professionals are extremely susceptible of being infected as well as retain a high susceptibility to cross infect and transmit the contagious viral sickness among general public attending dental clinics. The grounded reality for an average dental practitioner is that walking back to operative clinical work in dentistry post-pandemic is quite tedious. Most of the safeguards and practices recommended in the current COVID-19 pandemic phase need significant alterations in the ways to practice clinical dentistry in terms of prevention and transmission of cross infection. 3D printing or additive manufacturing is the most upcoming surge of technology in the field of health care. Many novel research-driven and technology-based interventions from 3D printing technologies must be exploited and adapted to find ways and means to fight out the outburst of the pandemic. Many such 3D printed mass produced and cost-effective tools, equipments, and barrier materials instilled in clinical dental practice shall prevent or minimize COVID-19 cross contamination and transmission by ensuring safe clinical practices.

In this current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, a huge loss of human lives has been faced by the world. The situation seems to be uncontrollable both because of the widespread of the virus and contamination of surroundings due to it, as well as a longer period of lockdown has emerged new social and economic problems. So, it is advised by the experts that this situation has to be dealt with by taking care of many precautions in mind while carrying out our daily life routine. On the other hand, frontline workers, policemen, and doctors need to protect themselves even after being exposed to the affected patients. For their safety and others, personal protective equipment (PPE) is the safeguard in this situation. The prime aim of PPE is to break the chain and avoid human to human contact. To develop these PPEs, scientists and experts have been designing and manufacturing kits consisting of various types of masks, face visors, gloves, glasses, shoe covers, surgical suits, and caps. Keeping the dimensions of the novel coronavirus in mind, i.e., 80–220 nm, the PPE kits are made to allow ventilation to the body along with the sole purpose of protection. For this, various methods of manufacturing these types of equipment are adapted, especially 3D printing is widely used for making face visors. The potential applications of nanomaterials came into the picture due to their properties such as antibacterial, hydrophobicity, transparency, and flexibility. Here, the chapter discusses the development of such PPEs for the protection of frontline workers and doctors along with the consequences followed by their usage.

As the coronavirus pandemic has spread across the world, travel restrictions, social distancing measures, and working from home are in place in every country. Health services even in developed nations are facing unprecedented demand not only for hospital beds and ventilators but also for clinical staff and the personal protective equipment (PPE) they require to treat patients. Shortages of equipment have led to greatly increased activity by the global network of 3D printing enthusiasts, offering their designs for free in the hope of reducing infections. In this chapter, few examples of 3D-printed items include face shields, nasal swabs, respirator masks and ventilator components used by folk’s has been discussed.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the imminent collapse of medical supply chains across global economies at an unprecedented scale. Essential supplies such as personnel protective equipment (PPE), ventilator components, and face shields have witnessed a continuous rise in demand and eventually boost the role of 3D printing. Over the months following the spread of the pandemic, 3D printed alternatives of many medical devices were made more accessible to hospitals, mostly by community-sourced design and fabrication. However, with the high volume usage of additive methodologies, several challenges associated with the design, manufacturing, and deployment of medical products have now been brought to further attention. In this work, a systematic evaluation of such challenges along with few possible solutions are presented. The pandemic and its effects on the industry are introduced in the context of disruptions caused across the supply chains. The role of additive manufacturing to counter these effects is presented with an introduction of the technology itself. Employing 3D printed products to address the shortages of healthcare equipment are mentioned and visualized. Thereafter, a central discussion is followed on the issues arising from the shift in production methodology of such medical devices—from conventional manufacturing to additive one. The problems are highlighted by discussing two important types of COVID-19 related 3D printed medical equipments—mechanical ventilators and PPEs. Thereafter, few possible solution methodologies are discussed as case studies of two particular instances of having such problems. Finally, a conclusion is drawn to solve the issues raised using similar solutions followed by future opportunities.

The manufacturing sector got revamped with the introduction of 3D printing technology. Additive manufacturing is in great demand because the products made by this technology require minimal post-processing, that too in the case of applications requiring high finishing. 3D printing is capable of producing complex shapes, as the technology uses layer by layer processing. Initially, the technology was developed to make the physical prototypes rapidly for an approximation of the real product, but now the real products are made using various 3D printing techniques which are classified according to the powder, solid, and liquid-based forms. The recent outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, from the Hubei province of China, has challenged the pharmaceutical and related medical industries with the need arising for the various medical equipment and gadgets protecting the spread of the virus. Researchers from around the world suggested various solutions for tackling the problem, introducing new products that required instant manufacturing. 3D printing is a reliable technology that succored many research groups and industries to develop and produce the products which were proved to be vital in these hard times. The chapter talks about the various success stories of the researchers who fabricated various products using 3D printing technology to tackle the complications of the Covid-19 pandemic.