Covid-19 Success Stories of 3D Printing

Singh, H.; Bhattacharjee, S.; Bawa, P.

The manufacturing sector got revamped with the introduction of 3D printing technology. Additive manufacturing is in great demand because the products made by this technology require minimal post-processing, that too in the case of applications requiring high finishing. 3D printing is capable of producing complex shapes, as the technology uses layer by layer processing. Initially, the technology was developed to make the physical prototypes rapidly for an approximation of the real product, but now the real products are made using various 3D printing techniques which are classified according to the powder, solid, and liquid-based forms. The recent outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, from the Hubei province of China, has challenged the pharmaceutical and related medical industries with the need arising for the various medical equipment and gadgets protecting the spread of the virus. Researchers from around the world suggested various solutions for tackling the problem, introducing new products that required instant manufacturing. 3D printing is a reliable technology that succored many research groups and industries to develop and produce the products which were proved to be vital in these hard times. The chapter talks about the various success stories of the researchers who fabricated various products using 3D printing technology to tackle the complications of the Covid-19 pandemic. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.