Customer Experience

Texas A&M University taps 3D printing to develop COVID-19 breathalyzer kiosks

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May 17, 2022

A Texas A&M University team was able to design and manufacture 10 functional COVID-19 breathalyzer kiosks in an expedited time frame using the Essentium high speed extrusion 3D printing platform, according to a case study.

The team was tasked to develop five breathalyzer kiosks for the U.S. Air Force and five for The Texas A&M University System.

The team used commercial off-the-shelf parts as much as possible. However, when complex parts were needed, they turned to in-house 3D-printed parts.

With collaboration from the U.S. Air Force and Worlds Inc., an intellectual property developer, the team used Essentium materials and machines to produce breathalyzer kiosks one month ahead of schedule made possible in part by the reduction in lead time for kiosk components.

In addition to meeting the deadline, the team was able to reduce costs by 90% in some instances. One mounting only cost $12 to 3D print that was quoted at $110 for a machined version.

For an update on how the coronavirus pandemic has affected kiosks, click here.