University Of Miami Professors & Students Design Reusable N95 Facemask With 3D Printer

From the City of Coral Gables:

August 5, 2020

University of Miami’s Executive Dean for Research Dr. Carl Schulman, who is also a professor of surgery at the Miller School of Medicine, has been working since March on designing reusable N95 masks with the help of a 3D printer. With his collaborators, Sylvia Daunert and Sapna Deo, professors of biochemistry and molecular biology, as well as graduate student Umer Bakali, and recent Ph.D. graduate Jeramy Baum, Schulman’s team began to work on melding designs he found online and printing them to test for comfort, durability, and facial fit.

After three months of trial and error, Schulman said the team is very close to a prototype. The mask features a hole in the middle, where different types of medical pathogen filters can be inserted (and replaced) to purify air circulating through the mask in order to protect the user and surrounding people. According to Schulman, these filters are readily available in most hospitals because they are used for respirators and ventilators. The next step: securing a good, comfortable seal so the masks will be airtight.

Original Article

This press release was produced by the City of Coral Gables. The views expressed here are the author’s own.