Royal Oak man uses his 3-D printers to make medical masks for hospitals
ROYAL OAK, Mich. (FOX 2) - With three, 3-D printers, Nicholas Busuito's living room has become a mini mask making factory.
"My production value right now is 24 a day so roughly one an hour," he said.
The mechanical engineer works at a local 3-D printing company, Geofabrica. But it is now deemed non-essential, forced to close up shop. Nicholas saw a need, and has the skills to help.
"I borrowed my dad's pickup truck and loaded up the printers," he said.
He was able to find a design for reusable masks, not as good as N95s, but something medical health professionals could use as a backup.
"You can see the filter now blocks where that hole used to be then this guard literally snaps on and then you have a face mask," he said.
The filter, is one-time use and the masks would need to be sanitized to use again.
Nicholas, an asthma sufferer, has the time right now to produce them - on lockdown in his Royal Oak home.
"To be honest, it’s a little scary," he said.
His company is in talks with area hospitals to donate as many masks as he can crank out as thinks of his own family, many in the medical field in the midst of this crisis.
"It really strikes home when you hear it from your family and people you interact with every day," Nicholas said.
Nicholas Busuito
Nicholas is also working on his own design of a balloon type ventilator - it's a more complicated design…he says if hospital vents were to run out, this could be used a secondary option to help COVID patients.
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