Covid-19: IIT-Madras startup Tvasta collaborates with Saint Gobain to develop 3D-printed doffing units – Times of India

CHENNAI: IIT-M alumni founded 3D-printing startup Tvasta Manufacturing Solutions has collaborated with multinational company Saint-Gobain to develop a 3D-printed ‘doffing unit’ for the country’s frontline healthcare workers.
Doffing units are needed for doctors, nurses & other healthcare workers to sanitize themselves after their shifts, safely remove the PPE kits and dispose them properly, eliminating the risk of carrying the infection to their homes.
Two doffings units have already been launched with a third one under construction, Tvasta said in a statement. The first such unit has already been deployed at a government hospital in Kancheepuram while the second unit has been established at Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital in Chennai. The Foundation Stone for the third Doffing Unit has been laid at Government Medical College and Hospital, Tiruvallur.
“The major advantage of a 3D printed doffing unit is that the time spent by construction workers at the hospital, which will be filled with Covid-19 patients, is minimal. The units are printed off-site with only assembly happening onsite – the hospital,” the statement said.
The units are integrated with equipment such as UV-C sterilisation box, automatic sanitiser dispenser, and an automatic soap dispenser. EPMCR, a design consulting agency based out of IIT-Madras Research Park, partnered with Tvasta and Saint Gobain to ensure that the structure is designed in an optimal manner for reduced risk of exposure and easy sanitation. The 150 square feet doffing unit is equipped with a wash basin, water closet, and shower. A special provision for PPE disposal is provided with a disposal chute to minimise the contamination from the PPE.