At the onset of the pandemic, resource shortages reached critical levels. Supply chains were depleted as beds began to fill and health systems equipped their staff with additional layers of PPE. Many makerspaces and innovation labs answered the call to support healthcare systems and workers. Those supporting the maker movement frequently discuss the potential of digital fabrication concepts to accelerate prototyping, distributed manufacturing, solve short-run supply chain issues, and generate work products that are portable to large scale manufacturing. For many, it was their time to shine. Overnight we saw makerspaces converted into production facilities and local factories completely retooling to support mass manufacturing of locally generated designs. Arguably, much more has been learned about the concept of localized digital production in the last three months than in the last three years.
This Construct3D panel on July 21st at 1:00 PM PST/4:00 PM EST starts off with the story of two university maker programs, Duke and UNC and one fabrication artist, Beechwood Metal Works, that adapted their operations during the shutdown to create highly successful PPE programs that, combined have produced over a hundred and thirty-five thousand items for their combined health systems. Glenn Walters, Chip Bobbert, and Casey Lewis will discuss what made their efforts successful, and some of the strategies they used as wellhttps://beam.unc.edu/ as what worked and what didn’t.
Adding to this discussion is Nicole Wake, Ph.D., an Assistant Professor of Radiology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Director of the 3D Imaging Lab at Montefiore Medical Center. When her health system in the Bronx was particularly hard hit by the surge of COVID-19 cases, she shifted resources towards 3D printing face shields and joined the efforts of academic and corporate makerspaces throughout the New York City area to make a difference. Dr. Wake reflects on her experience and shares her suggestions for how she is looking to draw from her COVID-19 experiences to advance the inclusion of 3D printing in medical education and professional practice.
We'll also hear from nTopology's Annika Norden on her part in prototyping nasal test swabs for COVID-19 diagnosis for Origin, a San Francisco-based 3D printing company that teamed up with the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). The 3D printed test swabs, designed using nTopology’s nTop Platform successfully passed an initial clinical evaluation for human factors, materials testing, and PCR compatibility. The swabs have also undergone testing by the U.S. Army, Origin material partners, universities, and independent medical labs.
After sharing individual experiences, the panelists will hold a broader discussion where they will address questions from attendees.