Robbinsdale Teachers Use 3D Printers to Increase Ventilator Capacity
Due to COVID-19, health facilities across the country are experiencing a shortage of supplies including ventilators.
But thanks to Robbinsdale Middle School teachers, some of those facilities will be able to help more people per ventilator.
Teachers like Joseph Meyers are creating ventilator “splitters.” Meyers got the idea from the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association publication. The publication included instructions from Colorado Makers Unite on how to create splitters.
“When I saw this, I was like well I have 3D printers at school,” said Meyers. “Robbinsdale Middle School was fortunate to have gotten new printers in the last couple of years. PTO gave us funds to get eight 3D printers.”
Meyers and another teacher picked up printers from school and brought it to their homes.
“A duel splitter takes about 2.5 hours to make. A quad splitter takes 4.5 hours,” Meyers explained.
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So far, the teachers created 74 splitters in total.
The splitters will be donated to Project CURE and distributed to hospitals in need nationwide.
“If we can do something and we have time in between everything that we’re doing, we can make this happen,” Meyers said. “The nice thing is we can still be working with students and do 3D printing because once we have it set up and put in the system, we don’t really have to watch it the entire time.”
To learn more about Robbinsdale Middle School, click here.
