{"id":112869,"date":"2020-04-23T12:17:15","date_gmt":"2020-04-23T10:17:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=112869"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:24:54","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:24:54","slug":"this-student-and-his-brother-counter-the-pandemic-with-3d-printers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2020\/04\/23\/this-student-and-his-brother-counter-the-pandemic-with-3d-printers\/","title":{"rendered":"This student and his brother counter the pandemic with 3D printers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neurosciences student Tiago Beck (23) and his brother Keno (25) are pooling their medical and technical knowledge in the fight against the coronavirus. They have started 3D printing facial masks. They printed 75 masks in two weeks, but their ambitions extend beyond merely printing additional masks.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Tiago Beck (left) and his brother Keno.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tprivate photo<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

From their parental home in Heidelberg, the brothers Beck are printing eight to ten masks a day. They package these in large ziplock bags, in a fully disinfected room. Tiago was \u2018behind the mask\u2019 himself during an internship a while ago. \u201cI saw doctors, home carers, apothecaries and elderly people who desperately needed masks, but couldn\u2019t get one,\u201d Tiago relates. \u201cThese are people who are in the trenches. Unfortunately, they\u2019re not the ones who get the masks first. I wanted to do something about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tprivate photo<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

His brother Keno had just finished his master degree in Space Sciences in Germany. He came up with the idea to 3D print the masks, after \u00a0he saw that 3D printer producer Prusa Research released mask designs. Keno: \u201d\u00a0My graduation research was about 3D printing with metal. That\u2019s not a subject that\u2019s directly related to facial masks, but it did teach me a lot about the processes and developments\u00a0 concerned with 3D printing. Tiago added to this with his medical knowledge. He \u00a0is all about the hygiene and sterilisation for the safe production of masks. That\u2019s how we combined our strengths.\u201d<\/p>\n

Completely safe<\/h2>

The brothers were greatly helped by the efforts of Prusa Research, a Czech company that produces 3D printers. In collaboration with health experts, it developed open-source files for facial masks that people who owned 3D printers could use instantly. \u201cAnyone who has such a printer can do their part by printing these masks and distributing them,\u201d Keno explains. \u201cThe masks are completely safe and can also be made with printers.\u00a0 The experts also advise people with regard to the materials and how to disinfect the masks. There are constant updates that make the processes quicker and safer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tprivate photo<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

Online communities are also lending a great deal of support, like the Facebook group \u2018Open Source Covid-19 Medical Supplies\u2019 or the German website \u2018Maker vs. Virus\u2019. Tiago: \u201cThose communities can really come in handy for technical questions regarding the printing process, like when the printer is not working properly. We also use the communities \u00a0to collect the required materials, such as plastic. It\u2019s really cool to see how quickly 3D printing is developing at the moment, now we\u2019re all joining forces. We\u2019ve only been going at it for two weeks and have already created a well-functioning process to produce eight to ten masks a day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keno thinks that the quick developments in 3D printing are due to the increased digitisation. \u201cIf this pandemic had struck in 2005, we\u2019d have never been able to respond as quickly. The digitisation has given us access to valuable communities. Twitter allowed us to contact donors. We communicate with doctors via e-mail to arrange for them to pick up the masks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anyone can lend a hand<\/h2>

The brothers\u2019 short-term aim is to make their production of masks increasingly quicker and safer. In the long term, they want to do more: \u201c75 masks are not enough,\u201d according to Keno. \u201cThat\u2019s why we want to spread the message and let as many people as possible help out. If you own a sowing machine or 3D printer, you can lend a hand. Or you might have access to a valuable medical or logistical network. There\u2019s also a lot to do with regard to organisation and coordination.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tiago affirms: \u201cIronically, the sense of community is stronger than ever. We are all in this together. In these desperate times, there is a great need for community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Watch this vlog about face masks at Erasmus MC<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t