3D Printed, Filtered Face Mask, a Remarkable Development

Custom 3D printed mask with replaceable filter, obtained from a 3D scan of the wearer, an open-source project released.

3D printing in last couple of years has become an exciting new way to create many different objects in very short time. That is because a 3D printer is designed to allow you print real, 3 dimensional objects from only a template. It eliminates the need to work with many different materials to create something new, exciting and beautiful.

WASP (World’s Advanced Saving Project) has developed a custom 3D printed face mask with a replaceable filter that’s non-irritating and acts like a sterilizable ‘second skin’. The wearer can be scanned using photogrammetry with a standard smartphone camera from a distance of 1 meter. All the photos taken are then reprocessed to create a 3D mesh.

The material used is PCL: Polycaprolactone as it can be placed in direct contact with the skin. PCL is a bio-material widely used in the medical field.  Its melting point is 100°C, it doesn’t warp and there’s no need for a heated chamber to print it האתר שלי.

All masks are printed using Delta WASP 4070 INDUSTRIAL 4.0.  This 3D printer allows you to easily use technical materials like the described above. The 3D printed mask can be sanitised and used many times. The filter is located in a central front slot, where it can be replaced.  It only takes about an hour and a half to customise a perfect fit face mask in TPE, thus reducing skin irritation and long-use related issues.

This is an important development as far as the 3D printing technology is concerned. Keeping in the view the on-going COVID-19 crisis being faced by the world, these 3D printed face masks can be of a great value.

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