3D Printing lab at University of Cincinnati aiding in pandemic response

Last year, when COVID-19 shut down the campus of the University of Cincinnati, the director of the Digital Fabrication Lab (DFL) Sam Antoline began working from home like everyone else. Within just a few days however, Antoline had been contacted by Dr. Frank Rybicki from the College of Medicine at UC. Dr. Rybicki asked if Antoline could reopen the lab to create personal protective equipment for healthcare workers. After receiving approval from administrators, Antoline rearranged the lab so that two graduate students could join him safely in the lab to begin work.

The DFL worked with a team that included people from the College of Design Art, Architecture and Planning, the College of Medicine, and UC Medical Center to research, design, and test an array of parts and equipment. As Antoline said in a release from UC, "It was an all-hands-on-deck crisis, especially in that first few weeks." In the end, they produced 1,000 replacement grommets for N95 respirator masks and 2,000 hands-free door openers for Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. The DFL has a history of fabricating items for the medical field. It has worked with EnableUC to provide prosthetics for children in need at no cost. It also prints learning tools for the College of Medicine students to use such as skeletal and vascular models. Currently, Antoline and the DFL are working with veterinarians to design prosthetics for dogs.

The students who work on projects in the DFL also reap the benefits of gaining the practical experience. At least 40 students have reported that their participation in DFL projects has improved their job prospects.