When COVID-19 began spreading across the Lehigh Valley, Mike Gorski, owner of Coplay-based Filament Innovations, knew he could help. The company produces 3D printers for the Army, Navy, Veterans Affairs hospitals and university research programs, as well as private orthotic and prosthetic businesses.

What started out as a hobby for Gorski turned into his livelihood when he bought his first 3D printer while honeymooning with his wife, much to her chagrin. He saw a growing need in the field for bigger, faster 3D printers that customers could afford.

“We typically build one machine per week. We assemble everything in house, from constructing the metal frame, to soldering the wiring, to cutting acrylic for the machine,” Gorski said. “It’s not a quick process by any means. Assembling the machines can be looked at as somewhat of an art form.”

Gorski already had a professional relationship with St. Luke’s Hospital, Fountain Hill, that started when the hospital needed a 3D printer serviced. When COVID-19 struck, Gorski asked how Filament could use its technology to help.

St. Luke’s, like many hospitals across the country, had a shortage of protective face masks for medical workers and asked Filament to start printing masks for them March 28.

“With this outbreak, Mike reached out and said to not hesitate if I needed anything in bulk. Ironically, I had been researching ideas about how my team and I could assist St. Luke’s and offer help with our 3D printer,” said Megan Augustine, M.Ed., director of the Network Simulation Center at St. Luke’s.

To create enough masks, the company had to have its suppliers expedite necessary materials so Filament could get its printers online as quickly as possible. Filament also sent a digital file to St. Luke’s so it could use its printers to create face shields as well.

“The mask and shield were designed using an existing open source file, which we then were able to modify after meeting with the medical professionals at St. Luke’s Hospital,” Gorski said.

The masks and shields are created using Fusion 360, a computer-aided design program. This file had to be changed a number of times while medical professionals test-printed masks to see how they could be made as effectively as possible.

“These masks are printed on a high-flow 3D printer, which allows for a thicker layer of material, which gives better bonding. This makes the masks stronger,” Gorski said. “We are printing with a flexible filament, which contours to an individual’s face, along with an attached rubber gasket, to create an airtight seal.”

“These masks provide a tight seal around the nose and mouth,” Augustine said. “St. Luke’s is fit-testing those [who] are wearing these masks to ensure that there are no gaps between the mask and face. The masks can be sterilized and reused.”

Augustine said St. Luke’s is doing an excellent job to ensure the availability of masks for its employees.

“We have an amazing team staffed at the PPE (personal protective equipment) command center that is run 24/7,” Augustine said.

Each day, the team has a scheduled meeting to make sure the hospital’s staff is having its PPE needs met.

Gorski’s goal is to make about 200 masks per week through the end of April.

When asked what his biggest challenge has been so far, he said, “There aren’t enough hours in the day.”