A view of nano fiber making equipment in Yinglan Lab, Beijing University of Chemical Technology Photo: Courtesy of Yinglan Lab

A face shield with innovative functions using 3D printing technologies has been developed by a lab of a Chinese university, and the product is expected to enter mass production to serve frontline medics battling the coronavirus.

The face shield, unlike traditional masks, can protect the mouth, nose and eyes from contact with the air. Inhaled air will firstly be handled by nano-fibers with high efficiency in terms of filtering and exhaled air will go through the virus-killing procedure before it is outside the shield.

"The face shield has low respiratory resistance and a long range of usage thanks to the novel application of nano-fibers, and it is convenient to carry for medics," Jiao Zhiwei, a professor who is on the R&D team of Yinglan Lab at the Beijing University of Chemical Technology, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

"The product is an integrated system including a pumping tube to bring the fresh air to lower inhaling resistance and virus-killing components, but we do not have all the materials we need at the moment, so we will use 3D printing technology," Jiao explained.

There is no such face shield so far in the global market, and it is expected to realize scale production at a faster speed via the 3D printing technology, according to Jiao, adding that the product is aimed at long-term application in the country's health sector as a strategic product instead of only focusing on the current coronavirus crisis.

"China's 3D printing technology has been catching up over recent years and has witnessed broad application in the aerospace and military sectors," he noted.

The Yinglan Lab is also stepping up efforts to apply the 3D printing technology to goggles which are also much needed in the fight against the epidemic. It is working on the design and production of sealed strips used around the frames of goggles.

"We have found that some medics have obvious deep impressions on their faces after wearing the goggles for a long time… so we figured out the 3D-printed sealed strips on the goggles to customize goggles to their faces," Jiao noted.

Since medics' 3D data cannot achieve remote transmission, the revised goggles have not been put into practice yet, he noted.