Garden City's Intermountain 3D printing reusable face masks for healthcare workers
BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — One Garden City 3D printing and production company is designing and printing reusable face masks for healthcare workers.
Intermountain 3D Inc. is a 3D design engineering, prototypyng and production printing service. It is now using its equipment to produce face masks that can be cleaned and reused by healthcare professionals.
The nationwide shortage of N95 masks has left the healthcare industry scrambling to provide adequate protection to those on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Traditional mask makers are scrambling to produce more in the coming months, but more masks are needed now. In many parts of the country, including Idaho, rural areas may not receive sufficient PPE when supplies are diverted to higher need areas.
That's where Intermountain 3D comes in.
The company worked with Dr. Ilyas Colombowala, a cardiologist with St. Alphonsus, to design a flexible mask that can be pulled tight to the face, and is sealed with foam tape to ensure proper fit. The reusable face mask uses only a small square of the N95 material, so short supplies of the filter media can be used to equip several masks.
“We tested the mask here at the hospital by inserting a square of N95 material cut from one of the mass-produced masks, and then submitted it to the standard saccharine test required for mask-fits,” said Dr. Colombowala. “It passed all tests with no issues.”
“Ideally, we would supply N95 filter media with the masks,” said Brian Hoffmann, president of Intermountain 3D. “We are working on several sources, but it is difficult to get at the moment. However, there are several promising methods for sanitizing old masks with hydrogen peroxide so that they can be used in the masks, and there are other materials with specs similar to the N95 that might be more available. Until we can provide N95 media, we are asking healthcare professionals to use their own filter material.”
To clean, the masks can be rinsed with water (and soap, if needed), then sprayed with isopropyl alcohol or hydrogen peroxide and air-dried. The filter can be reused, but should be changed after any aerosol-generating procedures, or if it has been contaminated with blood, respiratory or nasal secretions, or bodily fluids from patients.
Dr. Colomobowala wore a mask for his rounds throughout a day, and found it to be comfortable and easy to use. “There was a little negative pressure as I inhaled through the mask, which gave me confidence it was sealing well. I am really pleased with the comfort and fit.”
