PR83313

LEUVEN, Belgium, March 16, 2020 /PRNewswire-=KYODO JBN/ --

-- 3D Printing Technology Supports Coronavirus Containment Efforts

3D printing technology may lend a hand in preventing the spread of the

Coronavirus. Materialise, a Belgium-based pioneer in 3D printing, has designed

a 3D printed door opener that makes it possible to open and close doors with

your arm, removing the need for direct contact with door handles. The company

is offering the printable design for free and calling upon the global 3D printing

community to 3D print the door opener and make it available all around the world.

Experts believe that the Coronavirus can survive on surfaces for an extended

time, and door handles represent a high risk of contamination. The 3D printed

door opener can be attached to existing door handles and features a paddle-shaped

extension that allows people to open and close doors with their arm instead of their hands.

For safety reasons, not all doors can remain open and by removing the need to touch door

handles, the 3D printed door opener can help to reduce the spread of the virus.

The hands-free door opener can be fitted to a door handle without drilling holes or

replacing the existing door handle. The first model can be attached to cylindrical

handles and Materialise plans to introduce additional designs using different 3D printing

technologies as needed in response to the spread of the Coronavirus.

The idea for the 3D printed door handle originated at an internal meeting to

define measures to protect Materialise employees and visitors. It soon became

clear that more people could benefit from this design and the company decided

to make it available for free. Anyone with access to a 3D printer can download

the design and 3D print it locally in a matter of hours. Through this technology,

the 3D printed door opener could become available all over the world very quickly.

In 2018 more than half a million 3D printers were sold globally. The file can be downloaded

at https://www.materialise.com/en/hands-free-door-opener

3D printing is a digital manufacturing technology that makes it possible to

create products quickly and in small batches. 3D printing also makes it

possible to manufacture locally. As travel and transport become more difficult,

the ability to manufacture locally becomes more important.

"The power of 3D printing in combination with Materialise's three decades of 3D

printing expertise made it possible to turn an idea into an innovative product

in less than 24 hours," says Fried Vancraen CEO of Materialise. "By making the

design available digitally, it can be produced on 3D printers everywhere and

become available around the world in a matter of hours. In this case, we

designed the product in Belgium and people in China, Europe or the U.S. can now

3D print the door opener locally."

People who don't have access to a 3D printer or a local 3D print factory can

also order the door opener via the i.materialise portal. A set of two hands-free

door openers, including screws, is available for 40 euro. Materialise has three decades

of experience in 3D printing and runs one of the largest 3D print factories in the world.

Photos and video of the door opener and 3D printing process are available at

mtls.me/door-opener

About Materialise

Materialise incorporates three decades of 3D printing experience into a range

of software solutions and 3D printing services, which together form the

backbone of the 3D printing industry. Materialise's open and flexible solutions

enable players in a wide variety of industries, including healthcare,

automotive, aerospace, art and design, and consumer goods, to build innovative

3D printing applications that aim to make the world a better and healthier

place. Headquartered in Belgium, with branches worldwide, Materialise combines

the largest group of software developers in the industry with one of the

largest 3D printing facilities in the world. For additional information, please

visit: www.materialise.com.

Twitter: @MaterialiseNV [https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2752749-1&h=1730919853&u=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fmaterialisenv&a=%40MaterialiseNV ]

Visit: www.materialise.com

SOURCE Materialise

CONTACT: Kristof Sehmke, Email: Kristof.sehmke@materialise.be, Or

press@materialise.com