The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said it delivered last April 14 two prototypes of 3D-printed respirator valves to the National Children’s Hospital in Quezon City to test-fit in their existing respirators.
The Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) of the DOST led the development of the medical parts as a way addressing the urgent need for respirators and ventilators in local hospitals.
The MATDEV (Multiple Materials Platform for Additive Manufacturing Project) team of the ITDI used the Fused Deposition Modeling and Markforged Mark Two 3D printers to develop the prototype valves that connect patients in intensive care to breathing machines. Respirator venturi valves are commonly used by hospitals worldwide because they can be used for a maximum of eight hours at a time.
The MATDEV team is also working on 3D-printed prototypes of parts of the Multiple Patient Ventilator Splitter and Mechanic Ventilator- Mini-War Zone.
Also listed by Department of Health as one of badly needed equipment for Covid-19 treatment, ventilators are machines that help to get more oxygen into the lungs and take carbon dioxide out. It is designed to breathe for somebody who is unable to breathe effectively on their own.
Currently, five hospitals in Metro Manila are waiting for their 3D-printed prototypes of ventilator parts.
The DOST-ITDI said it also developed a 3D-printed filter attachment for use in commercially available nebulizer masks such as the Modified Oxygen Concentrator Mask. The attachment allows for a more efficient way for patients to breathe in medications.
The ITDI team said it has also produced a 3D-printed prototype of an N95 mask using nano-enabled filament material — an anti-viral filter cloth — adding a flexible lining on the edges of the mask.
Meanwhile, the DOST unit said it donated 100 3D-printed face shield assemblies to the Perpetual Help Medical Center in Las Pinas City on April 14. Earlier, 100 shield assemblies were given each to the Philippine Heart Center on March 30, 2020, and the Lung Center of the Philippines.
