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AM for COVID-19 Forum: let the world know how AM can help locally AM Industry

The AM for COVID-19 Forum was launched to enable medical providers to communicate to AM providers what is needed at the front lines. As we’ve seen, the two most critical things needed at this point in time (besides medical staff), are emergency products like mass-produced protective masks and ventilators, which will be needed in mass numbers very soon. While AM is not a technology used for mass production, it has two significant advantages over traditional manufacturing: it can produce locally and can begin production immediately and these are, in any emergency, key advantages.

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Make valves not war: arms maker Beretta chips in by 3D printing valves Industrial Additive Manufacturing

Weapon industry firms in Italy are considered strategic assets and are therefore not subjected to the same forced closures of other less strategic national assets. So Beretta, one of the largest arms makers in the world, decided to chip in with the effort to produce needed medical parts by making its fleet of 3D Systems SLS 3D printers available to print replacement Venturi valves for noninvasive ventilation of COVID-19 patients.

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CECIMO: “3D printing can help in this emergency but institutions have to give clear instructions” AM Industry

What can the additive manufacturing industry represent in regards to this global pandemic we are experiencing? The first ideas that come to mind are the ability to offer a solution when supply chains are interrupted, thanks to a more localized production, and greater automation, considering the restrictions on interpersonal contact and transport. It is also becoming increasingly evident that additive manufacturing can provide a real response to the emergency. The initiative launched by CECIMO, the European Association for the Additive Manufacturing Industry, has garnered great interest in this regard. We spoke about it exclusively with Vincenzo Belletti, CECIMO Innovation Policy Manager.

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How 3D printing can help address shortages in COVID-19 life-saving ventilation devices AM Industry

Dozens of organizations and hundreds of additive manufacturing companies are racing to help governments and healthcare institutions around the world address the shortage of life-saving respiration aids for intensive care COVID-19 patients who have difficulties breathing autonomously. 3D printing COVID-19 devices can be a viable option in some cases and 3dpbm has reported on many of these. However, in many cases, there is a limited flow of accurate information on the difference between the various types of machinery used according to the severity of each situation.

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Siemens opens AM network up to medical providers AM Industry

Siemens today announced that it is making its Additive Manufacturing Network and in-house 3D printing capabilities available to medical providers across the globe to help accelerate the design and manufacturing of in-demand medical components. Siemens hopes its resources will help to meet the growing demand for 3D printed medical equipment in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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3DCovid19.tech gathers 200 AM entities providing 3D printed parts to 11 hospitals in Spain AM Industry

After Italy, Spain has been the hardest-hit country in Europe by the COVID-19 outbreak and the situation in Hospitals and intensive care units is rapidly getting worse. Given the growing demand for medical equipment from healthcare institutions across the country, the 3DCovid19.tech digital and non-profit platform has been able to collect orders from 11 hospital centers in Barcelona, ​​Madrid, Castilla La Mancha and Andalusia in less than 24 hours.

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3D Hubs launches manufacturing fund for COVID-19 efforts 3D Printing Service Providers

3D Hubs, a Netherlands-based online manufacturing platform, has launched the COVID-19 Manufacturing Fund in an effort to support initiatives that are tackling the lack of much-needed medical supplies across the globe. The company says the fund will provide resources to these projects, enabling them to scale up the production of medical equipment, including protective masks and ventilator components.