- More than 5,000 tests for Covid-19 are carried out every day in France.
- The Cerballiance company called upon the services of Volumic 3D to meet its needs for test tubes.
- 10,000 units are produced every week using Volumic 3D plans and printers.
“From the first day of confinement, we thought that 3D printing had its card to play against the Covid-19. Stéphane Malaussena, co-founder of Volumic 3D, has converted his 3D printer manufacturing company into a design office for parts useful to those involved in the health fight. Among them, the test tubes necessary for the Covid-19 screening test.
"We were contacted at the start of the confinement, on a Thursday afternoon precisely, by Dr. Vincent Raimondi, general and medical director of the Cerballiance Côte d'Azur laboratories," explains the entrepreneur from Nice. Faced with the global shortage, they feared that they would quickly be out of stock and therefore no longer be able to carry out the tests. As he saw that we went to the CES in Las Vegas and the Élysée and that he planned to buy a 3D printer, he thought that we could print these cups. We replied that in theory, it was feasible, but we had to see how. The challenge was there. "
72 hours chrono
Then begins the production phase of the prototype. The test pieces are first drawn in 3D from specifications. “It was necessary to use a polymer compatible with the medical environment, which could accommodate the reagent necessary for the tests. The model had to be waterproof, which is possible but is not the strength of 3D printing ”, specifies Stéphane Malaussena.
The next day, Ferme3D, in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, launched printing on its forty machines designed by Volumic 3D. A thousand units are manufactured. But can they replace those usually used in the medical environment? Cerballiance launches tests. After a first return and an improvement in sealing, the results fall on Sunday evening: everything is working properly. "In 72 hours, we had answered the problem," comments Stéphane Malaussena.
10,000 test pieces manufactured per week
Volumic 3D now prints 10,000 test pieces per week, intended for the 600 Cerballiance laboratories and their competitors. Two pieces being necessary for each Covid-19 screening, this collaboration allows the realization of 5,000 tests per week. For comparison, France carried out more than 5,000 tests just for the day of April 7, 2020, according to data from Public Health France.
The Côte d'Azur start-up is also working on the design of visors and the manufacture of hundreds of valves adaptable to Decathlon masks.
Volumic 3D is finally participating in an artificial respirator project designed using 3D printing. “ We supplied the raw material and parts for the first models, which are functional and technically validated. They are now in the process of passing health approvals. We are ready to print the first models as soon as necessary, ”concludes Stéphane Malaussena.
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- Coronavirus
- Covid 19
- 3D printer
- Nice