The scarcity of medical equipment to fight the coronavirus outbreak has prompted action by the 3D printing community with design engineers volunteering their skills to ease the pressure on manufacturers, healthcare providers and governments.
From specialised masks to various breathing apparatus, 3D printing is helping people to think ‘out of the box’, says Brian Andrew, managing director for RS Components in sub-Saharan Africa.
There has been a significant increase in interest in 3D printers over recent years, he says.
“When commercial 3D printing first made its way onto the scene, it was expensive and only a few individuals saw the potential of owning a 3D printer. With advances in the design of these devices, 3D printers have become far more affordable, making this technology highly accessible. The 3D printing phenomenon has infiltrated almost every industry, assisting in conceptualising, prototyping as well as small batch production of parts and components,” he adds.
Andrew points out that in the medical industry specifically, 3D printing is continuously being used to better the lives of patients as well as revolutionise surgeries for doctors globally. “If we look at the innovation that 3D printing has brought into the medical industry, we just have to look at last year’s pioneering surgical procedure using 3D-printed middle ear bones, developed by Professor Mashudu Tshifularo and his team at the University of Pretoria (UP) in South Africa, which made headlines globally. The 3D printing community, which is growing, has proved that this technology is here to stay and that anyone with an idea can literally see their idea come to life.”