MY FACE MASK: 3D printed face Mask with a replaceable filter.
Custom 3D printed mask with replaceable filter, obtained from a 3D scan of the wearer, an open-source project released.
WASP has developed a open-source process that, starting from the 3D scan of the face, allows to customize and produce a tailored mask for every user.
The wearer can be scanned using photogrammetry with a standard smartphone camera from a distance of 1 meter. All the photos taken are then reprocessed to create a 3D mesh.
Our goal was to make the 3d printed face mask perfectly ergonomic, following the facial features as a second skin, a result that we obtained using My Face Mask Blender add-on.
The materials
The material used in this video is PCL: Polycaprolactone as it can be placed in direct contact with the skin.
PCL is a biomaterial widely used in the medical field, its melting point is 100°C, it doesn’t warp and there’s no need for a heated chamber to print it. The printed mask can be also hand-modeled to ensure a perfect fit using hot water (around 60°).
Another material that can be used is F1 BIO FLEX TPE is a TPE 27 Shore D certified. It prints at 200 ° and the result is a more flexible object and sanitizable at the same time.
The 3D printing process
All masks are printed using Delta WASP 4070 INDUSTRIAL 4.0. This 3D printer allows you to easily use technical materials like the described above.
The idea is of a 3D printed mask that can be sanitized and used many times. The filter is located in a central front slot, where it can be replaced.
Here an interesting research concerning filters from Cambridge University.
It only takes about an hour and a half to customize a perfect fit face mask in TPE, this reducing skin irritation and long-use related issues. Two hours with PCL filament needed.
The choice of the filter
The perfect and reusable connection between face and filter, this is what we have made available to the community with the My Face Mask project. The term “filtering” opens up a huge theme, which is closely linked to the use of the tool and to the degree of security required.
We have expanded the functions of the Blender add-on due to the popular request to support different standard filters based on your preference and the availability of materials.
My Face Mask Add-on has now been updated with a lot of new functionalities.
As requested the add-on supports now different kinds of filters from open-source projects. In this way anyone can choose what filter to use on its customized mask, depending on preferences and availability.
The filters available are five:
The cylindrical joint is designed for electrostatic medical filters, specifically designed for the filtration of viruses and bacteria. These are usually available just for hospitals and health facilities for it’s important that they have the priority for this kind of product.
The joint can be tapered for granting the best held possible on the filter.
Requires: Electrostatic medical filter
https://www.medicalexpo.com/medical-manufacturer/electrostatic-filter-48718.html
HEPAs are filtering systems with a very wide range of applications. They are based on the principle of folding for obtaining the maximum filtering surface.
One of the easiest to find is the replacement for Roomba i7, for which these joint has been designed.
Can HEPA filters capture nanoparticles?
https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/can-hepa-filters-capture-nanoparticles/
Requires: Roomba i7 HEPA
WASP joint has been studied to be compatible with all kinds of filtering fabrics with the use of an internal frame.
The shape has been studied to have a wide area of breathing.
For the choice of the filtering fabric you can for example use the material from a N95 surgical mask or a traditional fabric, following the related studies.
Study on 30+ materials for DIY masks:
https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/best-diy-coronavirus-homemade-mask-material-covid/?fbclid=IwAR3BaJDyTO7vZ56TTqbGVn0crg36uUBwo41H-pFBP80Bd7A2ik4suTyypNw
Requires: 3D printed frame DOWNLOAD, fabric
Montana joint borns from a popular US project for using a single N95 mask to produce 6 filters.
Montana masks project:
Requires: 3D printed frame DOWNLOAD, N95 mask
The circular adapter allows fixing fabrics without the necessity of a frame by using an elastic element.
For the choice of the filtering fabric you can for example use the material from a N95 surgical mask or a traditional fabric, following the related studies.
Study on 30+ materials for DIY masks:
https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/best-diy-coronavirus-homemade-mask-material-covid/?fbclid=IwAR3BaJDyTO7vZ56TTqbGVn0crg36uUBwo41H-pFBP80Bd7A2ik4suTyypNw
Requires: fabric, elastic element
Open-source project
Here you can find how to learn photogrammetry, The dedicated Blender add-on tutorial, the .stl files, and printing profiles.
We decided to use photogrammetry to obtain a 3D scan of the wearer face since it’s the easiest method and can be performed using any smartphone camera. It can also be used a standard 3D scanner if available.
Instruction
There are several 3D scanning methods.
Among the various 3D scanning possibilities currently available, photogrammetry is an immediate process and within everyone’s reach, achievable without having to purchase dedicated technologies.
It is a matter of taking a series of photographs even with your mobile phone, at a minimum distance of 1 meter from the subject, starting from one side of the face to the opposite side.
It is necessary to place reference points together with the subject to be able to re-calculate the right proportions during the export phase.
Follow our instruction in the download above.
To get the 3D face file, you need to transform the images into mesh.
For this operation we recommend the use of this software: RealityCapture
At the end of the reconstruction, just export the scan in .obj extension.
Follow our instruction in the download above.
WASP has developed a process to create custom masks starting from 3D face scanning through modeling with Blender 2.82. Thanks to Alessandro Zomparelli, collaborator of WASP, a dedicated Blender Add-on was born: My Face Mask Blender add-on that facilitates and automates the customization phase with specific commands until the export of the template.stl file.
Download Blender 2.82 here: https://www.blender.org/download/releases/
Download MY FACE MASK add-on Blender 2.82 and instructions here: https://www.3dwasp.com/en/my-face-mask-addon-blender/
We recommend 2 types of materials for printing the template:
PCL: Polycaprolactone is a bioplastic already in use in the medical sector which is extruded at 100 ° and can be further modeled at the end of printing in hot water (60/70 °). It can be printed with all models of WASP 3D printers with 1.75 mm filaments with WASP SPITFIRE Extruder and WASP ZEN Extruder extruders.
BIOFLEX: Bioflex is a medical certified TPE 27 Shore D (medical certification of type USP XXXII: 2009 Class VI and ISO 10993-4 / 5/10) for skin contact. It can be printed at 200 ° using 2.85 mm filaments, therefore usable with all WASP 3D printers equipped with WASP FLEX Extruder.
Cut the filter material to right dimensions and insert it into the mask.
By publishing this 3D application and how to replicate it, we want to make it clear that under no circumstances do we want to replace medical supplies. Our Team is available to develop tech projects at the service of the community.
Hi, your “DOWNLOAD” button just brings me back to the homepage of WASP. Can you let me know when this is fixed? I would like to learn more about this topic.
Hi Matteo, thank you for your message. Try now again, it seems to work properly.