There’s no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to adapt and innovate, but a rapid home testing kit made from coffee pods is one that even the most creative person would have struggled to envision, but that’s just what a team of researchers based at a Dutch university have done.
How Does It Work?
Affectionately christened the ‘CoroNaspresso’, the kit is made up of coffee pods that have been repurposed into a miniature chemical reactor. The user would add a saliva sample to vials packed with enzymes and insert it into a pod filled with something called a Phase Changing Material, such as wax.
The pod is then heated, causing a colour changing reaction that will indicate a negative or positive reaction.
The team says the materials used are extremely cheap, meaning that the kit costs under 20p to produce, and its reusable nature could be a perfect solution to boosting testing in developing countries.
How Does 3D-Printing Help?
Using 3D-printing, the team designed a small circular tray that can hold four vials and then be inserted into the wax. Once the kit is exposed to a heat source, the user will then get a result in 30 minutes.
3D-printing has been instrumental in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, being widely used to produce PPE, ventilator parts as well as testing kits.
In the States, a 3D-printed sensor has been produced that is able to detect COVID-19 antibodies in as little as ten seconds, and in New York City 3D-printing was used to mass produce nasal swaps to aid in the testing process.
How 3D-Printing Can Help Your Business
At Amey Plastics, we produce a wide variety of products using 3D-printing. Our experienced CAD designers can assist you with your product from concept all the way thought to the finished article. They recently helped a client design a plastic alternative to a metal component, that reduced their production costs, saving them and their customers a significant amount of money. You can read more about this project here.
We also have a range of plastic injection moulding services, including a variety of machines capable of production from anywhere between 35 to 320 tonnes.
Contact us today on (+44) 01730 266525 or email sales@ameyplasticsltd.co.uk to find out how 3D printing could help your project.
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