Epidemic Essentials: U-Shaped Water Trap Filler

thingiverse

A special design called U-shaped water trap (or in a simple form, U-trap) prevents viruses, bacteria, or foul smells from entering a residence through sewage/waste pipes. For this design to work effectively, the U-trap must be filled with water. Indeed, during the SARS outbreak in 2003, Amoy Gardens, a high-density housing estate in Hong Kong, experienced a huge local outbreak due to the fact that the virus from a patient's stool was spread through pipes with dry U-traps. The small water filler designed for this purpose is meant to be placed at wall-type drain openings and can be easily filled with water. Because it contains water, if printed using FDM printers, it must be painted with water-resistant materials to prevent water from creeping into the cracks between layers and infill, where bacteria and viruses may become trapped. We print these objects using the Photocentric Liquid Crystal Magna, a large-size DLP 3D printer. The printed objects are water-tight, and we don't need to worry about water leakage. Additionally, we can print up to 24 pieces at the same time as printing one, significantly reducing production time. For this model, it took around 2.5 hours to print on an FDM machine at 200 microns, but with the LC Magna, printing 24 takes less than 9 hours. More information about the LC Magna can be found here: https://beets3d.com/product/photocentric-liquid-crystal-magna/.