In a time when we are all looking for ways to support our community, Liollio is responding to a call for volunteers from AIA Charleston to provide 3-D printed masks designed by the Medical University of South Carolina.  Liollio’s David Herrero, Associate AIA, and Mary Tran, Associate AIA, have relocated our 3D printer to their home office and have been printing the masks for delivery to MUSC to support the cause. The effort is being coordinated by Grant Gilmore, Director of the Master of Arts in Community Planning, Policy, and Design program at the College of Charleston. 

With the threat of a shortage of protective masks looming as the novel coronavirus pandemic grows, Medical University of South Carolina biomedical engineers and tinkerers had an inspired idea: unleash an army of makers from across the U.S. who could make such masks from 3D printers. 

In a matter of days, a team came together and developed the Self-Assembly Filtration for Emergencies, or SAFE, Cartridge System. The system could be used by medical professionals or by people who just need to go to the grocery store. The MUSC team has been in contact with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to obtain emergency approval of the device.

Our goal is to produce and deliver 10 SAFE masks this week, which take about 13 hours each to print. The SAFE system is printed on a 3D printer out of PLA plastic and has a reusable mask piece that comes in three different sizes: S,M, & L. The second piece is a disposable HEPA filter cartridge that works with all three mask sizes. The HEPA cartridge and masks can be printed and assembled with commonly used items that can be bought at local hardware stores in cases of emergencies.

If you have a 3D printer and are interested in assisting with printing, please respond to ashley@ajarch.net.

To learn more about MUSC’s team and their plans for 3D printed masks visit: https://web.musc.edu/about/news-center/2020/03/26/3d-printed-masks-developed-at-medical-university-of-south-carolina