We use cookies to improve your experience on our site and to show you personalised advertising. To find out more, read our privacy policy and cookie policy

Skip to Content
University of Wollongong Australia. Logo. University of Wollongong Australia. Logo. University of Wollongong Australia. Logo.
  • Search
  • Give
  • Library
  • Current Students
  • Staff
  • UOW Global
    • Our global presence
    • UOW in Dubai
    • UOW in Hong Kong
    • UOW in Malaysia
  • Menu
  • Study at UOW

    • Courses
    • Apply
    • Scholarships & grants
    • Accommodation
    • High-school students
    • Non-school leavers
    • Postgraduate students
    • International students
    • Moving to Wollongong
    • Study abroad & exchange
    • Global sport programs
    • Campuses
    Study at UOW
  • Engage

    • Future student
    • Alumni
    • Visit UOW
    • Woolyungah Indigenous Centre
    • Volunteer
    • The Stand Magazine
    • Community Members
    • Grants and funding
    • Give to UOW
    • Visit the Library
    • Key contacts
    • Educators & school teachers
    Engage with us
  • About UOW

    • Welcome
    • Our people
    • Services
    • Contacts
    • What's on
    • Global presence
    • Media Centre
    • Faculties & schools
    • Our vision & strategy
    • Our Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Strategy
    • Our reputation & experience
    • Locations, campuses & partners
    See more about UOW
  • Research

    • Our research
    • Researcher support
    • Research impact
    • Partnership & collaboration
    • Graduate Research School
    • Commercial research
    • Global Challenges
    • Media, news & events
    • Find an expert
    • Our people
    See more about research
  • Industry

    • Generator Lab
    • Advantage SME
    • Success stories
    • Industry research engagement
    • Equipment & Labs
    • Funding opportunities
    • Intellectual property
    • Collaboration for business
    • Collaboration for researchers
    • Careers and employability
    See more about Industry
  • Alumni

    • Benefits
    • Outlook Magazine
    • Events & webinars
    • Volunteer
    • Awards
    • Honorary alumni
    • Testamurs & transcripts
    • Update your details
    • Your career journey
    • Contact us & FAQ
    See more about alumni
  • Quick links

    • Contact directory
    • Staff Intranet
    • Campus maps
    • Transport & parking
    • Key dates
    • Events
    • Password management
    • Jobs
    • Accommodation
    • Policy directory
  • Library
You are here More Pages
  • Home
  • About UOW
  • Media Centre
  • 2020
  • Researchers come together to protect health workers against COVID-19

Media Quick Links

  • Contact UOW Media
  • Visiting campus
  • Image library
  • UOW key facts
  • Find an expert
  • News Corp subscription
  • Sign up for the latest news from UOW Media

March 27, 2020


  • Story By
  • Lauren Hood
  • Photo By
  • Paul Jones
Share
Type
General News
Category
Health and Medicine
Tags
3D printingCommunityCOVID-19EngineeringHealth

UOW in the News

Researchers come together to protect health workers against COVID-19

UOW teams are pooling their 3D printing capabilities to produce face shields to protect the region’s healthcare workers.


As people around the world look at the use of 3D printing to create devices and structures that could help in the COVID-19 crisis, University of Wollongong (UOW) teams are pooling their 3D printing capabilities to produce face shields to protect the region’s healthcare workers.

UOW researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES), TRICEP (the Translational Research Initiative for Cellular Engineering and Printing) [supported by the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF) Materials Node and MedTech and Pharma Growth Centre (MTPConnect)] and UOW Makerspace are combining forces to provide local protective gear solutions during the global COVID-19 pandemic. 

“It turns out great minds think alike,” said ACES/ANFF/TRICEP Director Professor Gordon Wallace.

“Our team at TRICEP, facilitated by ANFF, had been working on a 3D printed face shield design, when we were contacted by UOW Makerspace who was working on a similar concept.”

The groups are now working closely with the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District to determine what can be produced using local 3D printing capabilities, as well as refining designs and producing prototypes for final testing at Wollongong Hospital. In parallel, the team will move towards scaling up production in collaboration with local industry to produce hundreds of the shields per week.

TRICEP (A UOW/ANFF Materials Node/MTP Connect initiative) houses world-leading research infrastructure to develop innovative technologies in 3D printing and fabrication, and 3D bioprinting. The initiative draws on expertise and facilities available within ACES and the ANFF Materials Node, both based at UOW’s Innovation Campus.

UOW Makerspace, also at the Innovation Campus, is a public creative space providing ‘makers’ from the community with a space to brainstorm ideas and access tools, equipment and training to bring ideas to life, from high tech solutions to novel approaches. Spaces such as this provide a mechanism to bring people together and create an environment where ideas are cultivated and the strengths of our community makers are realised.

Gordon said the 3D printed face shield has demonstrated the true spirit of collaboration in times of crisis.

“We’re working towards a common goal and can move quickly, which is critical as face shields are in high demand, there is a great shortage of them and they are needed immediately,” Gordon said.

“In these unprecedented times, I’m impressed at how quickly people have come together.”

UOW Makerspace Manager Jessica Grozdanov said the face shields initiative highlight the importance of direct collaboration between initiatives like makerspaces, innovative manufacturing facilities and medical institutions to solve community challenges.

“Over the past week, an open source design for a face shield that can be 3D printed has been circulated internationally. We have 3D printers available at the UOW Makerspace which got us thinking whether our local hospitals could benefit from an initiative like this,” Jessica said.

“Makerspaces and other innovative manufacturing initiatives are increasingly playing an important role in the response to crises, as we can respond quickly to a particular need and can offer innovative, local solutions in high priority scenarios.”

The researchers involved in the project are part of a larger national forum of universities and hospitals that are consolidating an approach utilising their resources to produce research outcomes and initiatives in a response to COVID-19. The forum includes ACES collaborators A/Prof Payal Mukherjee (RPA) and Prof Mia Woodruff (QUT).

The team is also testing capabilities on more sophisticated 3D printing designs, including prototyping components for ventilators such as valves and splitters, if the need should arise.

Picture: Distinguished Professor Gordon Wallace and additive fabrication technician Cameron Angus at the University of Wollongong’s Translational Research Initiative for Cell Engineering and Printing (TRICEP) facility. 

Media Assets for this article

  • Images

Media Contacts for this article

UOW Media Office

You may also be interested in

Why adults need to move more, stop sitting and sleep better
Distinguished Professor Gordon Wallace elected to Royal Irish Academy
New national program to improve palliative care
Services & Help
  • Current students
  • Library
  • Information technology
  • Accommodation
  • Security & safety
  • Pool, gym & retail
News, Media & Events
  • Media Centre
  • The Stand
  • Alumni Magazine
  • Research news
  • Events
  • Find an expert
Faculties
  • Arts, Social Sciences & Humanities
  • Business & Law
  • Engineering & Information Sciences
  • Science, Medicine & Health
Administration
  • Graduation
  • Environment
  • Policy directory
  • Learning and teaching
  • Financial Services
  • Access to information
  • Jobs
UOW Entities
  • Innovation Campus
  • UOW College Australia
  • UOW College Hong Kong
  • UOW in Dubai
  • UOW Global Enterprises
  • UOW Malaysia KDU
  • UOW Pulse
Connect with us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Conversation
  • Contact us
  • Feedback
  • Give to UOW

Northfields Ave Wollongong,  NSW 2522  Australia 
Phone: 1300 367 869 
International: +61 2 4221 3218 
Switchboard: +61 2 4221 3555

  • NUW Alliance: Smarter Solutions for NSW
  • University Global Partnership Network (UGPN)
  • Reconciliation Australia
  • AWEI LGBTQ inclusion awards logo

Aboriginal flag Torres Strait Islander flag

On the lands that we study, we walk, and we live, we acknowledge and respect the traditional custodians and cultural knowledge holders of these lands.

Copyright © 2023 University of Wollongong
CRICOS Provider No: 00102E | TEQSA Provider ID: PRV12062 | ABN: 61 060 567 686
Copyright & disclaimer | Privacy & cookie usage | Web Accessibility Statement

Close