طراحی و تولید ماسک صورت با کمک تکنولوژی پرینت سه بعدی

a mask is a sealed cover over the nose and mouth, used to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases. a mask may also cover the eyes and other vulnerable soft tissues of the face depending on its application. The lifespan of a mask is usually between a few hours to a few days depending on the type of the used filter.

There are two categories for filters: physical (preventing airborne particles) and chemical (absorbing toxic gases, viruses, bacteria, etc.). in many cases, the hazardous materials are in the form of mist, which is captured by the particle filter before entering the chemical adsorber.

Types of masks

There are different types of masks depending on their application. The masks can generally be classified as follows:

• non-medical
  • negative-pressure respirators using mechanical filters and chemical media
  • positive-pressure units such as powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs)
  • Escape Only respirators or hoods such as Air-Purifying Escape Respirators for use by the general public for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) terrorism incidents.
• Medical
  • Filtered
  • No filter
    • Surgical mask

Types of filtration

In the United States, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health defines the following categories of particulate filters:

European standard EN 143 defines the following classes of particle filters that can be attached to a face mask.

European standard EN 149 defines the following classes of “filtering half masks” or “filtering face pieces” (FFP), that is respirators that are entirely or substantially constructed of filtering material:

Activated carbon

Activated carbon is a form of carbon processed to have small, low-volume pores. These pores increase the surface area available for adsorption or chemical reactions. Activated carbon is used to purify liquids and gases in a variety of applications. And, it is produced from carbonaceous source materials, such as coconuts, nutshells, coal, peat, and wood.

Activated Carbon Filter Mask

In this type of masks, layers of activated carbon are intended to protect against gases and toxic vapors. Activated carbon masks are used to filter and purify urban air pollution and eliminating airborne particles and odor.

A micrograph of activated charcoal

۳d printer’s application in design and manufacturing of face masks

۳D printing is one of the manufacturing methods that can be used to produce different types of masks. Using this method, you can make light-weighted, durable and flexible masks. Due to the high speed of the prototyping process, individual changes can be made for each mask. Also thanks to 3D printers, design constraints are minimized and complex and porous shapes can be easily produced.