3D printing safety equipment to support the fight against COVID-19

3D printing safety equipment to support the fight against COVID-19

As part of our ongoing support for the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), we’ve been using 3D printers to help alleviate the shortage of safety equipment for front-line workers. In addition to using our in-house printer and a printer purchased with staff donations, our employees have also stepped up and used their own personally-owned printers at home.

We received the call for safety equipment directly from the NHS, and we’re proud to have sent two shipments of surgical ear masks and visors to local hospitals in Somerset where they are most in demand. The Surgical Mask Ear Guards are designed to prevent the rubbing and sores behind the ears that traditional surgical mask straps often cause.

Nick Williams, a graduate naval engineer said:

“Putting our printers to good use and helping the NHS in these extraordinary times is the least we can do. It’s really rewarding to hear that they’re helping improve the comfort and safety of both patients and front line staff”

The printers have been operating for over 1080 hours so far and have now printed over 200 visors – taking over 4 hours each to print each one, and 447 Surgical Mask Ear Guards (and counting!).

Jake Rigby, Research and Development Lead said:

 "I’d like to say a massive thank you to all those in BMT who are helping to print these items. We understand that printing is slow, so we can only provide a very small number of items to the overall cause, but every little bit helps and together we can help the UK to be prepared for the crisis."