The 3D Mobilisation

The unorganised and sluggish 3D printing sector could have a windfall gain as companies make PPE and other critical equipment to fight the Covid-19 crisis

- Pankti Mehta kadakia

Imaginarium, a Mumbai-based boutique 3D printing firm, whose focus has been on jewellery, furniture and medical implants, is now racing to make PPE face shields and 3D-printed circuit splitters that will allow multiple patients to use a single ventilator

A few days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the first nationwide lockdown to control the spread of the coronavirus on March 24, an intern at Boson Machines, an additive manufacturing startup based in Mumbai, pitched an idea: With the situation getting worse, could 3D printing help?

Until now, the company’s focus has been on manufacturing the 3D printing machines themselves. Overnight, they found an open source design and printed a sample of a plastic face mask, similar in design to the N95 that is in great demand at the moment. “That’s what lit the spark,” says Arjun Panchal, 25, who co-founded Boson Machines with his brother, Parth, 27. “The next day, I saw a tweet from a doctor in Bengaluru saying there’s a huge requirement for certain products. We immediately set things in motion.”

The Panchal brothers consulted with physician Dr Swapneil Parikh, who has co-authored a book called The Coronavirus: What you Need to Know about the Global Pandemic. Parikh has helped Boson Machines develop its core products in response to the Covid-19 crisis: Medical grade face shields made of PVC, with an elastic polycarbonate headband that has foam cushioning.

Face shields are considered an integral part of the PPE (personal protective equipment) for health care workers, adding a layer over the face mask and protecting the wearer from any contaminated droplets they may encounter.