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A Doctor Joins DIY Move to Making Masks from a 3D Printer

April 08, 2020

Ingenuity knows no limits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some people are making masks from cloth, elastic straps and sewing skills. Others, more technically inclined, are fashioning masks from 3D printers.

Count Dr. Chris Wiles., a first-year anesthesiology resident at Hartford Hospital, as the 3D-printer type. Dr. Wiles, 30, a New London native, designed his masks using standard 3D printing material and furnace filters sourced from a hardware store. He told The New London Day he estimates his masks filter out more than 75 percent of particles. An N95 used by medical professionals filters at least 95 percent of small (0.3 micron) particles.

“When the CDC recommends that if — and only if — you run out of N95s, you can use alternative, handmade devices, including bandanas and scarves,” he told The Day. “When I saw that, I said. ‘I can do better. I’m going to try to make a difference.'”

Dr. Wiles posted this  do-it-yourself video on YouTube that has attracted more than 80,000 views:

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