This Startup Just 3D-Printed 100 Life-Saving Valves for Only $1
A true innovation in the face of a crisis.
“If there is a silver lining in this crisis, it may be that the virus is forcing us to use the internet as it was always meant to be used — to connect with one another, share information and resources, and come up with collective solutions to urgent problems.”
In 2016, GE began mass-production of a 3D-printed fuel nozzle used to efficiently spray fuel inside the LEAP jet engine: “The size of a walnut, this wickedly complex metal part was previously made from 20 components. GE now prints 600 of them per week as a single piece.” That was accomplished without any pandemic or economic crisis spurring.
More recently, with the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, we’ve seen health systems being overwhelmed, supply chains disrupted, and manufacturing halted. This disruption resulted in a life-or-death situation when a hospital in Italy’s Brescia region needed replacement valves for their respirators — a critical device in the treatment of patients suffering from COVID-19. The problem was…
