BOISE, Idaho — A Boise doctor has joined forces with a local printing company to create face masks for healthcare workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The masks are made using 3D printing.
Dr. Ilyas Colombowala, a cardiologist at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, partnered with Intermountain 3D to make them.
Colombowala said the masks needed to do two main things.
“It was important for us to develop a mask that was reusable," he said. "That was one of the key features we were looking for. Another key feature was to be able to filter particles as tiny as the coronavirus particles."
Using surgical wrap, the team was able to design a filter inside the mask that can be replaced and changed out when needed.
The entire mask can be wiped down and sterilized, making it usable pretty much indefinitely, Colombowala said.
A gasket used on the inside of the mask makes it comfortable for healthcare workers to be able to wear it all day. Different sizes and shapes of the mask can also be printed.
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The goal was to have another resource available should a shortage occur with commercial masks, such as the N-95 model.
“It’s a finite resource and we depend on a supply chain to be able to supply those," Colombowala said. "And if we start to see a surge in the number of patients going forward, there might be a time where those commercially available masks run low in supply. So this is really just a contingency plan as a backup to those commercially available masks.”
The original intent was to have the contingency plan in place should Idaho face a PPE shortage. Currently, the Gem State does not have a shortage but many other states do.
Because of that, Colombowala said they have quite a bit of demand for the masks from areas facing those shortages, such as New York. He tells KTVB that Intermountain 3D has already filled orders for other areas in need.
“It’s really neat to be a part of something where different disciplines can come together to create something new that can be used to help a lot of people,” he said.
The masks have not been FDA-approved but Colombowala said they have done a lot of testing internally and the masks have been successful in those tests.
He added that the design is open-sourced, meaning anyone with the equipment to print the masks could do so. However, it does require a commercial 3D printer to produce them.
Currently, the masks are sold at $19.50 each. To place an order, contact Intermountain 3D or go to the company's website.
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