Creating Custom 3D-Printed Face Masks with Fusion 360

Face masks are a part of life now and will be for the foreseeable future. For most of us, that simply means putting on a generic mask in stores and other public spaces where social distancing isn’t possible. But for many essential workers, including the healthcare providers on the front lines of the COVID crisis, wearing a mask is a job requirement. And after a shift of eight or more hours, ill-fitting masks can cause abrasions, soreness, and inflammation. Many healthcare providers report skin damage from their personal protective equipment (PPE), primarily on the bridge of the nose, cheeks, and forehead.

One solution? Masks that are customized for your face. Producing a customized face mask is no longer a time-intensive process that can only be performed by a CAD professional. In response to the pandemic, Mensura Mask, a research project based out of Imperial College London, has created an automated system that enables anyone with an iPhone X or higher to 3D scan their own face, then uses Fusion 360 to generate a CAD model that can be sent to any 3D printer. The workflow brings together reality capture, mobile integration, cloud connectivity, 3D modeling, 3D printing, and agile manufacturing—making it almost unimaginable just a few years ago. The BBC covered the story. 

Ready to build your skills and learn the workflows that make projects like this possible? Check out this related learning:

Creating a Pulse Oximeter: Utilizing the Cloud to Prototype in EAGLE and Fusion 360

Pulse oximeters are an important tool that help medical professionals know how much oxygen a patient is getting and whether they’ll need supplemental oxygen or a ventilator. James Youmatz and Edwin Robledo show you how to combine electronic and mechanical CAD to design and make your own.

Linking DFAM, Design Optimization, and Generative Design

Learn how to simulate and optimize lattices, hollow geometries, walls, and other additively manufactured features with this session led by Allin Groom. This class focuses on laser power-bed fusion, but the concepts apply to most types of 3D printing.

Reimagining How We Design Neuroprosthetic Limbs

At Limbitless Solutions, Albert Manero and his team are using Fusion 360 to make customized prosthetics available and affordable for growing children, and even letting them add design elements that help the limbs express each child’s personality.

Transforming the Consumer Experience with Mass Customization

Customization of products on a mass scale was once basically impossible—a thing was either mass produced or it was crafted individually by an artisan. Lior Gerling and Anurag Sharma share how Forge and other digital tools are enabling manufacturers to tailor products to specific individuals without sacrificing the efficiencies of mass production.

Meeting the Need for 3D-Printed PPE Means Mastering Distributed Manufacturing

Redshift shares how doctors and makers are working together to additively manufacture much-needed protective equipment for healthcare workers.

You’ll find many related classes at Autodesk University. Whenever you’re ready to learn, we’re ready, too. And if you’re interested in using your design and manufacturing skills to help combat the pandemic, check out Autodesk’s collaboration resources.