3D printing users helping hospitals fighting coronavirus with robust design

Posted on April 20, 2020 Updated on May 22, 2020

As mentioned by, Sung Hoon Kang, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering who is leading a team that includes ICU intensivists and pulmonary specialists at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, “There is an emphasis right now on using engineering to develop open-source solutions to many aspects of the COVID-19 crisis, but especially for ventilator design and production. One approach is to use one ventilator to treat multiple patients. While this is feasible, it must be safe for all the patients. That means ensuring that each patient gets the care they need, without shortchanging anyone. This is what we set out to create.”

In accordance with Christopher Shallal, a member of the team and a junior majoring in biomedical engineering, “We need a robust design, but one that can be produced with a relatively simple manufacturing process like 3D printing. We are also considering the different conditions and settings where people may be printing the ventilator splitters. For instance, they may not have a high-resolution printer available. So we are keeping scalability in mind as we design.”

JOHNS HOPKINS ENGINEERS DEVELOP 3D-PRINTED VENTILATOR SPLITTERS

3D printing enthusiasts are working from home to help hospitals fight coronavirus