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Creative JRC Ispra colleagues support local hospitals in Europe’s Coronavirus hotspot.

Creative JRC Ispra colleagues support local hospitals in Europe’s Coronavirus hotspot.

Italian’s region Lombardy is by far the region worst affected by the corona pandemic in terms of infections and fatalities. Hospitals there have reached the limits of their capacity.

In this particular moment that we are experiencing, a group of colleagues from the Joint Research Centre Ispra in the Italian region of Lombardy is trying to help those who are on the front lines to fight against the corona virus. 

Athanasios Katsogiannis, Antonio Migneco, Alessio Ossola and Giovanni Moroni are using their spare time to produce 3D printed protective visors which they donate to hospitals, medical centres, retirement homes and other organisations which need them. Thanks to their initiative the first 100 visors were delivered to a local hospital in Besozzo (VA). Now other hospitals, nursing homes and medical centres (in Varese, Angera and Borgomanero) got interested and started asking for them.  Thus, thanks to the generosity of the ETM donors, a second set of at least 500 visors will be soon created and delivered to these institutions.

These particular visors consist of a rigid support printed in 3D with a transparent 200 micron PVC sheet applied. The visor is very light, it weighs just 30gr and is washable. After its parts are fully recyclable; the rigid support is made of compostable bioplastic PLA (Polylactic Acid), a material derived from corn, beetroot, sugar cane and other natural and renewable materials, while the transparent part can be recycled with plastic.

Our colleagues are producing these visors on a voluntary basis and would be happy to receive financial support for the material needed: bulk reels for 3D printing of PLA and the PVC sheets.

This is one of several activities supported by the ETM Ispra group. Europa Terzo Mondo (ETM) is an independent no-profit organisation, founded by Community staff members, with the aim to support communities in developing countries with financial and technical means to realise micro-projects, paving the way for sustainable material and cultural development. The ETM – Ispra section has about 200 members. See also the ETM connected web page.

Experiencing the many difficulties of the health system in our own country we have decided to provide support to local health organisations. We have also ordered specific protection shirts in a local tailoring and donated them to a local hospital. We will evaluate further possibilities to support our immediate environment, while never forgetting those less fortune in this world.

If you want to contribute to the ETM projects (including this one), you can use the scope ‘Donation to ETM or ETM Visor‘ at ‘Make a donation

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