The COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased demand for medical and protective equipment by frontline health workers, as well as the general community, causing the supply chain to stretch beyond capacity, an issue further heightened by geographical and political lockdowns. Various 3D printing technologies were quickly utilised by businesses, institutions and individuals to manufacture a range of products on-demand, close to where they were needed. This study gathered data about 91 3D printed projects initiated prior to April 1, 2020, as the virus spread globally. It found that 60% of products were for personal protective equipment, of which 62% were 3D printed face shields. Fused filament fabrication was the most common 3D print technology used, and websites were the most popular means of centralising project information. The project data provides objective, quantitative insight balanced with qualitative critical review of the broad trends, opportunities and challenges that could be used by governments, health and medical bodies, manufacturing organisations and the 3D printing community to streamline the current response, as well as plan for future crises using a distributed, flexible manufacturing approach.

Purpose -3D printing (3DP), which is technically known as additive manufacturing, is being increasingly used for the development of bespoke products within a broad range of commercial contexts. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential for this technology to be used in support of the preparation and response to a natural disaster or complex emergency and as part of developmental activities, and to offer a number of key insights following a pilot trial based in the East African HQ of a major international non-governmental organisation. Design/methodology/approach -Using an illustrative example from the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) field this paper demonstrates, from both a theoretical and practical standpoint, how 3DP has the potential to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of humanitarian logistic (HL) operations. Findings -Based on the pilot trial, the paper confirms that the benefits of 3DP in bespoke commercial contextsincluding the reduction of supply chain lead times, the use of logistic postponement techniques and the provision of customised solutions to meet unanticipated operational demandsare equally applicable in a humanitarian environment. It also identifies a number of key challenges that will need to be overcome in the operationalisation of 3DP in a development/disaster response context, and proposes a hub-and-spoke modelwith the design and testing activities based in the hub supporting field-based production at the spokesto mitigate these. Research limitations/implications -In addition to an extensive review of both the HL and additive manufacturing literature, the results of the pilot trial of 3DP in support of humanitarian operations, are reported. The paper recommends further detailed analysis of the underpinning cost model together with further field trials of the recommended organisational construct and testing of the most appropriate materials for a given artefact and environment. Practical implications -3DP has the potential to improve the response to disasters and development operations through the swift production of items of equipment or replacement spare parts. With low capital and running costs, it offers a way of mitigating delays in the supply chain through on site fabrication to meet an identified requirement more swiftly and effectively than via the traditional re-supply route, and it allows for adaptive design practice as multiple iterations of a product are possible in order to optimise the design based on field testing. Social implications -The logistic challenges of responding in a disaster affected or development environment are well documented. Successful embodiment of 3DP as part of the humanitarian logistician's portfolio of operational techniques has the potential to deliver more efficient and effective outcomes in support of the beneficiaries as well as a sense of empowerment in relation to problem solving. In addition, it has the longer term potential for the creation of a new industry (and, hence, income source) for those living in remote loca...

In the past decade, 3D printing technologies have been adopted for the fabrication of microfluidic devices. Extrusionbased approaches including fused filament fabrication (FFF), jetting technologies including inkjet 3D printing, and vat photopolymerization techniques including stereolithography (SLA) and digital light projection (DLP) are the 3D printing methods most frequently adopted by the microfluidic community. Each printing technique has merits toward the fabrication of microfluidic devices. Inkjet printing offers a good selection of materials and multimaterial printing, and the large build space provides manufacturing throughput, while FFF offers a great selection of materials and multimaterial printing but at lower throughput compared to inkjet 3D printing. Technical and material developments adopted from adjacent research fields and developed by the microfluidic community underpin the printing of sub-100 μm enclosed microchannels by DLP, but challenges remain in multimaterial printing throughput. With the feasibility of 3D printed microfluidics established, we look ahead at trends in 3D printing to gain insights toward the future of this technology beyond the sole prism of being an alternative fabrication approach. A shift in emphasis from using 3D printing for prototyping, to mimic conventionally manufactured outputs, toward integrated approaches from a design perspective is critically developed.

This article considers the potential of 3D printing as an eLearning tool for design education and the role of eMaking in bringing together the virtual and the physical in the design studio. eLearning has matured from the basics of lecture capture into sophisticated, interactive learning activities for students. At the same time, laptops and internet enabled phones have made computer-based learning mobile, invading classroom learning, changing communication between students, enabling on the spot research, and making the recording of ideas and activities easier. The barriers between online and offline are becoming blurred in a combined digital and physical learning environment. Threedimensional printing is part of this unification and can be an empowering learning tool for students, changing their relationship with the virtual and the physical, allowing them to take ideas and thinking from screen to reality and back again in an iterative, connected process, however, from an eLearning point of view it is, more importantly, a transformative technology with the potential to change the relationship of the learner to their learning and the scope and nature of their work. Examples from Griffith Product Design student learning illustrate the potential of eMaking to enhance combined learning in a digital age.

In response to shortages in personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic, makers, community groups and manufacturers around the world utilised 3D printing to fabricate items, including face shields and face masks for healthcare workers and the broader community. In reaction to both local and global needs, numerous designs emerged and were shared online. In this paper, 37 face shields and 31 face masks suitable for fused filament fabrication were analysed from a fabrication perspective, documenting factors such as filament use, time to print and geometric qualities. 3D print times for similar designs varied by several hours, meaning some designs could be produced in higher volumes. Overall, the results show that face shields were approximately twice as fast to 3D print compared to face masks and used approximately half as much filament. Additionally, a face shield typically required 1.5 parts to be 3D printed, whereas face masks required 5 3D printed parts. However, by quantifying the print times, filament use, 3D printing costs, part dimensions, number of parts and total volume of each design, the wide variations within each product category could be tracked and evaluated. This data and objective analysis will help makers, manufacturers, regulatory bodies and researchers consolidate the 3D printing response to COVID-19 and optimise the ongoing strategy to combat supply chain shortages now and in future healthcare crises.