News Apr 02, 2020

Smart work, smart ideas: 3D-printed visors to help healthcare workers

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The difficult moment the whole world is facing due to the coronavirus is changing habits: first of all the approach to work.
Studio Volpi, as other companies, is thriving thanks to a rapid change of mindset involving remote work and a prompt use of digital tools.

Remote work has proved effective as it has encouraged new ideas and insights, a fresher approach and the development of prompt strategies. It also nurtured new projects that can support healthcare workers and those in the frontline.

Carlo Blumer, Lab & Prototyping Specialist at Studio Volpi, searched and developed - with the resources available at his home and a 3D printer - a transparent visor that guarantees a high degree of protection even in situations at high risk of contagion, such as healthcare and law enforcement activities

 

The Makers community thanks to 3D printing is sharing many ideas to face the challenges posed by the coronavirus outbreak: open-source files allow anyone owning a 3D printer to make objects and tools in a short time and at a very low cost.

The visor, a 3D printed support with a polyethylene sheet added as screen, has undergone a careful process to assess ergonomics and protective efficacy. The prototype has been tested and promoted by health professionals, who have validated its effectiveness.

The visor is used, with a face mask and protective goggles, to guarantee an additional isolation from the infection

 

The production of the visors has increased dramatically to cope with the emergency and supply the health institutes in the Varese and Milan area.

To date, 300 visors have been donated to the hospital of Varese through the ASST Sette Laghi of the Lombardy Region, 100 visors to the infectious disease department of the Sant'Anna Hospital in Como, and more than 500 to operators who requested them.

By the end of the week, nearly 1,500 additional visors will be produced and donated to hospitals and more than 5000 are going to be produced in the next days and available for free to all those who will request them.

If you need visors, you can require them to Carlo Blumer at his email address:
c_blumer@studiovolpi.com.