The sudden outbreak of the deadly coronavirus brought with itself setbacks as well as opportunities for innovation and growth. At one end, the entire world got exposed to the threat of getting infected and risking their lives, the other side of the crisis forced people to look for alternatives.
Industries, organizations, schools, social establishments, etc all have been temporarily shut, chaining people to their homes, hindering their movement on the street. Even though most of these found one way or another to deal with the crisis, challenges obstructed their path every now and then.
One of the prominent sectors that suffered from the crisis or at least, had a tough time coping with it is the healthcare industry. While the patients were having a war inside the wards, the healthcare professionals were dealing with a shortage of beds, protective personal equipment, masks, and other COVID-19 essentials.
As the number of COVID-19 cases kept rising, the demand for the medical kits also increased creating a gap between the demand-supply funnel. Nexgen3d among all other 3D printing companies took the responsibility to manufacture COVID-19 essentials faster and better.
Introducing 3D Printing For Mass Production of COVID-19 Essentials
Battling with the deadly virus, ensuring the safety of the frontline healthcare workers has been the need of the hour. This is the reason why most of the 3D printing companies resorted to the production and development of the medical kits. The major developments were across the following essentials.
- Face Masks
To wear one, we must have one. Everyone across the nation was instructed to wear face masks outside their houses. To alleviate the shortage of the product, experts at Nexgen3d took to mass production of the same. The masks produced by the technology were cheaper, and also the time taken to manufacture them was less as compared to the traditional methods of production. They were ergonomic and were conceptually designed ensuring sustainability. This allowed us to serve more and more people with it.
- Face Shields
While the common people were asked to wear masks, the COVID-19 warriors had to have face shields to better protect themselves against the virus. 3D printing technology was proven extremely helpful in manufacturing sustainable mass shields and making them available to the warriors at the minimum possible rate. Nexgen3d stood at the forefront of production, adding more and more shields to the production queue.
Nasal Swabs
A necessity of the time, nasal swabs were required to test a patient. Each patient was tested at least thrice. With the global case count rising up to a billion, the number of nasal swabs required was pretty huge. Surprisingly, 3D printing facilitated the production of nasal swabs and in huge amounts. 3D printed swabs were designed with a complex top structure that wouldn’t require one to apply flock at the top of the swab, improving the efficiency of sample collection. Many organizations produced nasal swabs and donated the same to the medical organizations as their contribution to society.
- PPE Kits
Doctors and nurses coming in direct contact with the patients had to take extra measures to prevent them from getting the virus. While during the initial stages, they had PPE kits in abundance, soon they ran out of the stock. Nexgen3d used 3D printing technology to design and build hygienic personal protective equipment kits. The quality was kept top-notch with eco-friendly materials.
Other products manufactured by 3D printers included quarantine booth, respirators, ventilators, etc. In addition to the above, 3D printing was also used to train the naive healthcare professionals, guide and assist them to perform tests, and cater to the safety norms. 3D printed manikins were used to demonstrate how to perform procedures, indicating the precautions the professionals must take.
Conclusion
True that COVID-19 has exposed the world to uncertainty but 3D printing emerged to be the saviour. Nexgen3d stood among the top organizations producing essentials for the healthcare professionals and other warriors. We also donated thousands of kits, masks, and face shields to organizations and institutions across the nation. While the course of the crisis is still unclear, the growth of 3D printing is certain and we would continue to do our part effortlessly.
