KISS Emergency Ventilator

thingiverse

This is an experimental design for an emergency ventilator, created as a last resort when no other option is available and a life needs to be saved. It's a compact device made from minimal parts that can be accessed even during quarantine. The only additional components required beyond the printable parts are M3 bolts, a computer fan, and air flow tubing. The fan operates a piston that switches valves, allowing the ventilator to blow air into the lungs and extract old air, while also moving air through the system with its airflow. Due to its simplicity, no other electronics, programming, stepper motors, or Arduino boards are needed. The design is modular, enabling multiple computer fans to be used in series if more power is required. The system was built to run on a 4000rpm 12v computer fan with an 85:1 gear ratio, providing a breath count of 47 per minute, which is slightly high but expected to be slowed down by the gears and piston. Ideally, a variable resistor can be used to vary the voltage source, although this is not required. This system has not been tested at all, and I'm handing it over to the community so that more minds can critique it, add to it, and make it more practical. A few things are on my mind right now, such as the fan gear used in the transmission's first gear. It's the same as the second gear but has fan blades to aid airflow and prevent stalling behind a solid gear. I'm unsure if the first gear should be a fan or if gears one and two should share the same solid shape - only testing can show that. The other gears are solid and not spoked, preventing drag from paddle-shaped spokes. However, if someone can create a minimal surface area spoke design that prints faster and works just as well, it may be an option. I'd like to clarify that because this is plastic with gears, a filter should be used downstream between the device and the ventilator to filter dust or particles from the machine. I'm not a doctor, so I cannot provide instructions on how to use this device on a patient. Both STEP and STL files are available. If you'd like to learn more about my work, you can message me at austin@bitdrafted.com or follow me on Instagram (@bitdrafted) or Facebook (@bitdrafted).