Evil at the service of good: Supervillain 3D-printed mask protects children from polluted air

People are increasingly using protective masks, because the air in cities is becoming dirtier. For adults, many masks of different styles have been developed. Respirators created specifically for children are much smaller, and pollution is especially harmful for babies. Bartlomiej Gaczorek, a 3D technology designer, decided to create a mask for young children and printed it on Sinterit lisa.

What was the difficulty

The appearance and design of the mask was developed by the designer from scratch. This required the creator much more ingenuity than just taking a ready-made “adult” mask and reducing its size.

Firstly, the mask for the child must be light. Secondly, children run a lot, jump and therefore sometimes fall – it was necessary to protect filters and at the same time not increase the size of the mask. And thirdly, it was necessary to color it so that the children liked it.

A source: sinterit.com

Given all the requirements, creating a model for such a design manually would be very time-consuming (if at all possible) and, almost certainly, many errors would crept in, due to which the model would be unsuitable for 3D printing.

Selected solution

Unusual respirator for children is designed to interest them. The front part resembles a bat and comic book superhero outfit elements. The mask protects the respiratory system when the child is engaged in crafts – paints, glues, polishes – and when he is on the street, in places where the air is heavily polluted.

To create a fully functional mask Bartlomei Gachorek chose a 3D printer Sinterit lisausing SLS selective laser sintering technology.

A source: top3dshop.ru

It is possible to print elements on it, not only for the prototype, but also for the final product. These parts can be processed and painted. In addition, Sinterit Lisa is able to print as reliable, durable polyamide components. PA12 for hard sections of the mask, as well as flexible adjustable sections, taking into account the anatomy of the face made of plastic TPU.

A source: sinterit.com

In very complex projects, it is almost impossible to avoid problems and mistakes during the design. However Autodesk Netfabb, Software for designing and preparing 3D models, analyzes and identifies problems, can automatically fix the polygon mesh and as a result helps to quickly move from the preparatory stage to printing.

A source: sinterit.com

Netfabb created internal grilles that reduced the weight of complex designs. The grill made it possible to create a light, durable and functional mask.

A source: sinterit.com

What happened as a result

Using Autodesk Netfabb, a 3D printer, and Sinterit supplies, the designer managed to create a mask that will protect children from harmful impurities in the air and viruses:

• Existing masks and respirators are designed for adults, and therefore their shape and size are not suitable for children, which makes these protective equipment useless.

A 3D-printed mask can be created both for a child’s size and individually for the shape of the child’s face, which is much more effective. In such a mask, you can put interchangeable tabs with absorbent and disinfecting substances, which will make it much more effective than a simple gauze bandage, which is unlikely to protect against something more serious than dust.

• The mask is durable and comfortable, thanks to the use of two available materials – polyamide PA12 and photopolymer Flexa black.

A source: sinterit.com

Autodesk Netfabb software has been able to develop the mask quickly and efficiently. The algorithms for correcting, creating a hollow model and internal lattice structures are amazing.

The Netfabb Ultimate version does its job effortlessly, even in situations where another program would fail. On the basis of the whole model, a hollow structure can be created and filled with structures similar to a crystal lattice, and ventilation holes, like technological ones, for removing green powder from the model, can be added in several simple steps. Final weight and material consumption are reduced by 50% compared to a single piece.

Netfabb Ultimate is great for 3D Printer SLS, such as Sinterit lisa.

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