Sicnova promotes a collaborative project between companies, individuals and administrations to manufacture thousands of 3D medical accessories against COVID-19.

Sicnova is promoting, organizing, and acting as a logistics operator for a collaborative initiative enabling anyone with a 3D printer at home to manufacture medical accessories (masks and visors) to help in the fight against COVID-19, given the current need for protective material in Spanish healthcare facilities.

This initiative, which began yesterday, Sunday, is scalable to any location in Spain. Sicnova encourages individuals and public administrations to join, as the larger the network, the more medical accessories can be manufactured in less time. Yesterday alone, in less than 24 hours, 2,000 requests for collaboration were received from all over Spain to manufacture, and 170 offers from donors to provide material.

This multidisciplinary and collaborative project already has the support of renowned firms in the 3D and industrial sectors such as BASF AM Forward, Ultimaker, Meltio, Arcelor Mittal, Ferrovial, Smart Materials 3D, BCN3D, and DELSOL Software. Furthermore, the first public institution to join the initiative is the Linares City Council, which will provide filament to any citizen of the province of Jaén who needs it to manufacture these 3D models. Sicnova acts as a bridge between printers and donors in this initiative, in addition to promoting it nationally. This project is constantly growing and is open to new synergies and opportunities for cooperation that may arise with other stakeholders and individuals willing to contribute for the good of society.

How to collaborate from home

Participating in this initiative is very simple. Simply go to the URL sicnova3d.com/covid-19, fill out a form with your personal information, download the digital files to manufacture the models, and once completed, notify us through our channels so that the relevant authorities can deliver this material to the hospitals. Several open-source STL files are currently available for download, having been validated for use by medical personnel. Specifically, these are protective materials (flat ventilated visors, front-mounted face visors, and face masks) that can be used in facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes. To manufacture these components, Sicnova provides the necessary materials (filament, EVA foam, acetates, and bags for storing the material) at cost price and without obtaining any financial profit. The goal is to secure enough collaborators to fund 100% of the material costs. In the case of the province of Jaén, the Linares City Council covers this cost, so the material is free for users who want to manufacture at home.

Additionally, several models of protective masks for civilian use (approved for personal use but not for healthcare facilities) are also available for download. Users can distribute them among their immediate families, for example, by leaving them available to residents of their respective buildings.

In addition to acting as the initiative’s coordinator and logistics operator, Sicnova also offers the advice of its technicians to resolve any manufacturing questions that may arise during the process. It also filters the design to include only medically approved 3D designs on its website.

For more information about this project:

sicnova3d.com/covid-19

covid19@sicnova3d.com