The AMable Project Promotes Flexible AM Solutions To Fight The Coronavirus
The AMable Project Promotes Flexible AM Solutions To Fight The Coronavirus
The coronavirus is currently paralysing public and private life and in many places, there is a lack of medical equipment and viable solutions to protect society against the spread of the virus. Together with institutions from all over Europe, the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT is supporting companies in the EU project AMable in implementing Additive Manufacturing ideas that will help overcome bottlenecks in this fight.
Within the framework of the EU’s I4MS initiative (ICT Innovation for Manufacturing SMEs), partners of AMable have promoted 3D printing with metal and plastic for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Now, they are looking at measures to quickly and reliably come up with solutions for the vital work of hospitals, medical practices and nursing staff.
Call for ideas: What ideas can be implemented with 3D printing?
AMable offers universal support in all phases of Additive Manufacturing. The platform’s partners provide the necessary expertise for implementing reliable 3D printing processes with materials of all kinds – from plastic or metal to ceramics.
However, currently there is a greater demand for small extruder 3D printers on site so that products can be produced locally and on demand, according to Ulrich Thombansen, project coordinator and scientist at Fraunhofer ILT.
Accordingly, the message is “Name ideas for 3D printing that can be used, for example, to do medical technology work better and easier than before. What we want to understand is where Additive Manufacturing can make a contribution to reduce the impact of the pandemic.”
Call for solutions: Public suggestions for topics through all channels of the media
What matters to the AMable partners is the complete transparency of their work: They want to present the proposed topics directly to the AM community via all common social media channels, associations and the press as a “call for solutions” in order to find suitable partners that AMable actively supports with public funding and experts.
Diving masks become simple ventilators
The chances are good because well-known European institutes are participating in the AMable platform, and Thombansen is coordinating their work as project manager. As an interesting idea, he describes, for example, a project at the University of Marburg, where a team has modified existing CPAP devices for the treatment of sleep apnea for use with COVID-19 patients. Similar ideas are being pursued by some projects in the community, where a few 3D printed parts make it possible to even use diving masks as respiratory aids.
“We want to bring people with similar ideas together with experts from the AMable network so that they can implement their 3D printing idea both quickly and reliably. AMable acts as a turbocharger from idea to implementation,” said Thombansen.
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