The masks a Billings, Mont.-based neurosurgeon and dentist designed for 3D printers have gone global, with the open-source software file shared in 148 countries, according to the Billings Gazette.
Five things to know:
1. The design has gone beyond 3D printers to include injectable mold production through Spark R&D to allow for mass production and a more comfortable feel.
2. Dusty Richardson, MD, is a neurosurgeon with Billings Clinic who worked on the design alongside dentist Spencer Zaugg, DDM, and his son Colton Zaugg, who has a degree in microbiology.
3. The mask has a replaceable filter, making it ideal to stem the spread of COVID-19. The design is free online and has gained national attention.
4. With the production now transitioned to Spark R&D, the company can produce 2,800 masks per day. With the 3D printer, it could take about three hours to print one mask.
5. The developers also connected with Flowmark/HighTech Filters, a fiber manufacturing business, to create the reusable filters, which are being sent across the U.S.