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. 2020 Jul 23;8(3):225.
doi: 10.3390/healthcare8030225.

Quadrupling the N95 Supply during the COVID-19 Crisis with an Innovative 3D-Printed Mask Adaptor

Annabel M Imbrie-Moore  1   2 , Matthew H Park  1   2 , Yuanjia Zhu  1   3 , Michael J Paulsen  1 , Hanjay Wang  1 , Y Joseph Woo  1   3
Affiliations

Quadrupling the N95 Supply during the COVID-19 Crisis with an Innovative 3D-Printed Mask Adaptor

Annabel M Imbrie-Moore et al. Healthcare (Basel). .

Abstract

The need for personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic is far outstripping our ability to manufacture and distribute these supplies to hospitals. In particular, the medical N95 mask shortage is resulting in healthcare providers reusing masks or utilizing masks with filtration properties that do not meet medical N95 standards. We developed a solution for immediate use: a mask adaptor, outfitted with a quarter section of an N95 respirator that maintains the N95 seal standard, thereby quadrupling the N95 supply. A variety of designs were 3D-printed and optimized based on the following criteria: seal efficacy, filter surface area and N95 respirator multiplicity. The final design is reusable and features a 3D-printed soft silicone base as well as a rigid 3D-printed cartridge to seal one-quarter of a 3M 1860 N95 mask. Our mask passed the computerized N95 fit test for six individuals. All files are publicly available with this publication. Our design can provide immediate support for healthcare professionals in dire need of medical N95 masks by extending the current supply by a factor of four.

Keywords: 3D printing; COVID-19; N95 masks; personal protective equipment.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) Labeled exploded render of the final mask design with a reusable soft silicone base and a 3D-printed filter cartridge. (B) Front view of the final mask assembly. (C) The cartridge is assembled separately with one-quarter of a 3M 1860 N95 mask and adhesive to ensure a seal on the edges of the filter. (D) Back view of the final mask assembly.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(A) Mask assembly begins with a single 3M 1860 N95 mask. (B) The metal nose strip and elastic straps are carefully removed, and the mask is cut along its horizontal and vertical axes. (C) Each mask quarter is placed in a cartridge face down (any asymmetries can be trimmed) and sealed to the cartridge side using non-toxic adhesive. The filter assembly is then flipped face up and adhesive is used to seal the mask section to the inner edge of the cartridge. Magnified image callouts show the adhesive seals in more detail. (D) Elastic straps are attached through the four fixation points and the assembled cartridge is loaded into the silicone mask base by sliding the cartridge flange into the slot in the mask base.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Picture showing a user wearing the final mask from the front (A) and side (B).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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