Additive manufacturing can contribute significantly to help combat the severe shortages of essential medical equipment at hospitals and other facilities globally due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.
The technology can provide ‘immediate solutions’, said Cecimo, the European association of the Machine Tool Industries and related Manufacturing Technologies, including Additive Manufacturing.
In a recent ‘Call to Action’, the association was requested by the European Commission to investigate whether its membership could aid in producing equipment, such as valves or ventilators, that hospitals are lacking due to the COVID19 outbreak in Europe.
Cecimo has been in direct contact with additive manufacturing companies who have offered to help in this time of need. However, the association reports that these companies are potentially unable to contribute because of various current regulatory requirements and is urging policymakers to address a number of pressing issues in order to ‘unleash the potential of additive manufacturing’.
These include using the official channels to communicate any requests to print parts, upload a list of essential supplies and provide the necessary files for printing to those companies who request them, as well as temporarily waiving the Medical Device and Product Liability Directive requirements. In connection with the urgency of the situation, the association is also requesting the temporary authorisation for additive manufactures to use patents of essential supplies and services without the consent of patent holders.
It is also asking for the cooperation of customs authorities to ensure the free flow of essential supplies and/or 3D printing hardware within the EU internal market, and for the inclusion of the additive manufacturing sector in the list of essential value chains required to continue operation during the lockdown period.
Finally, the association is seeking quicker and smoother access to the market of new essential medical and protection equipment, by providing temporary access to certification.
To be effective, however, more targeted funding is needed to supply the sectors – such as AM – involved in the initiative, plus priority should be given to prioritising the scale-up of the European manufacturers’ capabilities addressing the shortage of components or equipment, the association concluded.