What 3D printer did we use for the AltavaMask project?

For the AltavaMask project, we used a 3D printer manufactured by Formlabs. The exact model of 3D printer is a Form 3, and we used both their standard and engineering resins during the prototyping process. The standard resin molds were used to verify the initial shape of the molded part, the gasket. Once the design was confirmed, RDM engineered the high-temperature version of the mold in the high-temperature version of the resin to repeat the prototyping process with a quicker cure time.

What material was used in the making of the AltavaMask?

Molds can be split into two parts, and each part took about 12 hours per half. We used extremely high-resolution settings on the Form3 which increased the print time but also improved the surface quality of the prints.

What organizations is RDM working with?

We're working with two organizations— MaskRally and Altavian. MaskRally is a nonprofit organization that needed help with the design of the mask and used Altavian for the face shield and filtering aspects of the design. Altavian is an engineering company and drone manufacturer in Gainesville, and our teams of engineers have been working closely together since we were introduced. The Altavian team reached out for our help because of our ability to design and prototype the silicone injected parts of the Altavamask design; initial feedback from medical professionals proved that comfort and sterility needed to be improved, so that’s where RDM helped out. MaskRally is currently working on fulfilling orders for the immense backlog, with the help of Altavian as its distribution partner. RDM looks forward to continue adding value to its noble mission in any way possible.

What type of low volume manufacturing are we doing?

We are doing RDM's patent-pending silicone injection Low Volume Manufacturing. We've come up with a novel process of injection molding various plastics from our experience on the band.it projects. Over the past 5 years, we've sampled everything on the durometer scale and sheer experience has led to creating an effective way of developing prototypes, and a good design sense when choosing materials. Although we are not currently set up for orders over 10 units for this particular product, RDM hopes to continue putting resources into for improvement in the future.

How did the prototype we created to influence the mask design?

By developing this prototype (and series of prototypes, really), we were able to make valuable design decisions before the tooling was purchased. It is much easier to change designs before the high volume manufacturer cuts the production tool. We were able to provide Altavian with an initial solution that allowed the team to fine-tune design aspects. It allowed us to get feedback and incorporate design changes at a much lower cost in a much tighter time frame than possible with standard approaches to manufacturing.