Year: 2020

Material: PP

Industry: Medical

The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 caused an unexpected spike in demand for personal protective masks. Supply-chain of large-scale manufacturers couldn’t fulfil requests of manufacturers, leading to a shortage of protective equipment and to countries blocking the exports these products. To face this emergency, Caracol reconverted its production, starting the 3D printing of reusable personal protective masks in polymeric, hypoallergenic material with a substitutable filter that can protect airways and guarantee individual protection. The protective masks are CE certified as Class I Medical Devices.

Thanks to the flexibility given by the 3D printing technology, more than 100 prototypes were produced to test functionality, ergonomic fit, and filter protection for the user, giving a fast and efficient response to the crisis. After the beta test of the first version, who saw the participation of  20+ doctors, policemen, civil protection operators and privates, we released an improved version of the product.

This 3D printed mask is composed by a reusable shell and interchangeable filters, to ensure individual protection of the respiratory tract. The shell can be washed and sanitized to be used multiple times, solving both the problem of waste and supply created by disposable masks. It is produced using a hypoallergenic certified PP, which makes the product ergonomic and adaptable to kind of face shape.

The SMS filters in use are tested by Politecnico di Milano and guarantee efficiency in bacterial filtration superior to 98%, for a duration of 24 hours. Each kit is provided with 20 filters, which ensure the protection of the person for 20 days.