New 3D printing technique offers faster production of PPE

Metal cutting specialist, Sandvik Coromant, has developed a new 3D modelling technique that claims to 3D print up to 200 plastic face shields in the time traditional methods are able to print one.

The technique could dramatically increase 3D printing output and produce face shields for healthcare workers currently fighting Covid-19. Sandvik Coromant has made this information freely available to encourage other businesses to use this method for face shield production. 

Usually, Sandvik Coromant’s industrial facilities in Sweden are reserved for manufacturing metal powders into intricately engineered components, but currently the organisation’s metalworking expertise and 3D printing capacity is being redeployed to produce Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers with some of the organisation’s plastic 3D printers.

Although many businesses are already producing 3D printed face shields, this process can be time consuming as 3D printers are typically restricted to printing one CAD file at a time. Therefore, to help with the pandemic, engineers at Sandvik Coromant developed a new modelling process to allow machines to recognise a stack of multiple face shields as one solid CAD file. Engineers are able to stack multiple shields on top of each other by using this method. The 3D printer can then be instructed to create structural support between each product with a dual extruder - essentially printing a thin string of plastic between each shield. Printing this support in water-soluble material allows the shields to be easily separated once printed.

Sandvik Coromant’s Press Tools division claims to be able to manufacture 42 plastic face shields per 3D printer during each production batch. Previously this process took 48 hours to manufacture just one face shield. It is thought that larger 3D printers could use this same technique to print up to 200 face shields in a single production batch.

Christian Dingfors, production engineer at Sandvik Coromant Press Tools, commented: “Printing several parts at a time is the optimal method for producing a high volume of face shields when using a 3D printer.

“In the ongoing effort to support healthcare workers against Covid-19, we need to contribute to the production of PPE as effectively as possible. That is why Sandvik Coromant wants to share this technique and the necessary imaging data with as many businesses as possible. We want every facility with 3D printing capacity to get involved.

“We encourage any business that has access to a 3D printer to contact us for guidance on how to deploy this printing technique. We are happy to share the 3D imaging data with anyone, including small businesses and hobbyists, that want to contribute to this essential cause.”

Sandvik Coromant’s Press Tools Division has halted all non-critical production runs for the 3D printers it has on site, with 75 per cent of printing capacity now dedicated to producing face shields. The shields will reportedly be donated to hospitals in the Sandviken-Gävle, Gävleborg and Stockholm regions of Sweden.