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KEYPORT, Wash. – Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Division Keyport engineers have begun using their skills to design 3D-print prototypes to supply the medical facilities in the area with N95 face masks.
If the mask design gets approved, this will be the first N95 3D-printed mask from any site in the entire DOD which could be scaled to industry to help solve national shortages in N95 masks.
The project began in March 2020 and includes four members from the Undersea Systems Sustainment Engineering and specifically in the Rapid Prototyping & Fabrication Technology Division.
Because of the current pandemic, the supply chain struggled to keep up with medical equipment demands. The goal is to use 3D printers to provide local medical facilities with personal protective equipment designed to fit the military mission and help keep everyone safe.
But getting a new N95 mask design approved for medical use isn’t easy and requires certification through an Army chemical biology lab.
“Building N95 masks requires a high-end industrial printer,” said Eric Seeley, Naval Base Kitsap–Keyport Chief Engineer. “These masks need to provide high end protection while also being reusable. There’s also quite a bit of testing needed and the whole process from the start of the design to the certification can take several months.”
According to Capt. Jon Moretty, Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Keyport commanding officer, Keyport has already leaned forward early during COVID-19 and quickly took advantage of the Tech Bridge network to establish partnerships with University of Alaska, Fairbanks, the Veteran Affairs Administration, Army Medical Command, Hewlett Packard, Air Force AFWERX, the DON Additive Manufacturing Team, and many Navy Naval Research and Development Establishment organizations in order to start leading efforts to design and produce critically needed, DoD approved equipment.
As stated by Johannes Schonberg, U.S. Navy. Director, Northwest Tech Bridge, we needed a design that would accommodate the fleet and could be mass produced. The face mask design comes in four different sizes, has a silicone face seal, filters both inhaled and exhaled air, is low cost, and accommodates eye wear and helmets.
“Advanced manufacturing capabilities are a vital component of the Navy logistical supply support in the future,” said Capt. Moretty. “It is critical we maintain the momentum to advance this new capability to the fleet.”
The new mask design is currently pending certification at an Army biology lab.
| Date Taken: | 02.11.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 02.11.2021 18:19 |
| Story ID: | 388941 |
| Location: | KEYPORT, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 218 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Keyport Engineers Design 3D-Printed N95 Respirators, by PO2 Victoria Galbraith, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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