Abstract
Currently, the emergence of a novel human coronavirus disease, named COVID-19, has become a great global public health concern causing severe respiratory tract infections in humans. Yet, there is no specific vaccine or treatment for this COVID-19 where anti-disease measures rely on preventing or slowing the transmission of infection from one person to another. In particularly, there is a growing effort to prevent or reduce transmission to frontline healthcare professionals. However, it is becoming an increasingly international concern respecting the shortage in the supply chain of critical single-use personal protective equipment (PPE). To that scope, we aim in the present work to provide a comprehensive overview of the latest 3D printing efforts against COVID-19, including professional additive manufacturing (AM) providers, makers and designers in the 3D printing community. Through this review paper, the response to several questions and inquiries regarding the following issues are addressed: technical factors connected with AM processes; recommendations for testing and characterizing medical devices that additively manufactured; AM materials that can be used for medical devices; biological concerns of final 3D printed medical parts, comprising biocompatibility, cleaning and sterility; and limitations of AM technology.
Highlights
Introduction and ScopeThe novel coronavirus disease (SARS-CoV-2) has caused an acute reduction in world supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) due to the increased demand and significant disruptions to the global supply chain, leaving many staff and patients without protection
The additive manufacturing (AM) technique is very consistent with the medical sector, since complicated bio-compatible parts can be synergistically manufactured with minimum restraints and a large degree of customization can be accomplished
Research Status on Materials Used for the 3D-Printed Medical Parts. Questions arise in this regard, what AM materials can be used for medical parts? Should they be made of biocompatible materials that comply with health requirements such as those used in hospitals, and are they safe to use near the face in 3D printed masks for example? All that related to these issues will be discussed in the sequel
Summary
The novel coronavirus disease (SARS-CoV-2) has caused an acute reduction in world supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) due to the increased demand and significant disruptions to the global supply chain, leaving many staff and patients without protection. Mechanical ventilators are one of these essential items needed during this pandemic which has a severe shortage of supply This pandemic situation will demonstrate emerging requirements for greater flexibility in approach, such as for in situ 3D printing technique of medical devices in Materials 2020, 13, 3339; doi:10.3390/ma13153339 www.mdpi.com/journal/materials. For medical devices including PPE, 3D printing is characterized by the advantage of thedevices fabrication of any geometric or complex shape structures that will be healthcare. Up-to-date review will address and discuss several related to thisproducts technology couldAn play an important role in initially be conducted provide an overview of 3D will printed medical products and the domain of medicaltoproducts and devices.and. As an important advocated in the present global the AMimplications industry are of explored In this context, 3D on printing companies as well as the work, the COVID-19 pandemic the global.
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