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Ricoh 3D offers help to build vital ventilators
07.04.2020

Ricoh 3D offers help to build vital ventilators

London/Wallisellen, 07 April 2020 – Ricoh 3D has pledged to support the battle against Covid-19 by offering to assist in the production of vital ventilators.

Ricoh 3D contacted Make UK and the Government to confirm it is willing and able to support an increase in mass ventilator manufacturing. Ricoh 3D is confident it can help by using additive manufacturing (AM) to produce vital components for ventilators both quickly and cost-effectively.
Ricoh 3D offers help to build vital ventilators
This comes after a call from Health Secretary Matt Hancock for UK manufacturers to urgently work together to increase the number of the machines available to the NHS. Mr Hancock said the UK currently has 5,000 ventilators but needs many more times that number. He urged UK manufacturers to get involved in any way they could.
Mark Dickin, Additive Manufacturing & Moulding Engineering Lead at Ricoh 3D, said: “New ventilators are urgently required as the coronavirus crisis intensifies. Additive manufacturing will have a vital role to play in this as the technology is capable of producing bespoke parts quickly and cheaply. We have registered our willingness to help in any way. Our team of experts are on standby to design and produce any required parts at a moment’s notice. These are unprecedented times and businesses, as well as individuals, need to do everything possible to save lives.”
In Italy, a 3D printing company was able to supply a hospital with 100 respirator valves within 24 hours to connect patients to breathing machines. The valves usually cost around £9,000 to produce but were made using 3D printing for less than £1 each.
Ricoh 3D has already been involved in medical projects that have made living conditions better for thousands of people. This includes development of a lever-hinge mechanism for ankle-foot orthotics and involvement in revolutionary new technology which sees limbs scanned and precisely replicated using 3D printing prior to operation. Surgical instruments can also be produced using AM and are typically used for intricate operations.

|About Ricoh|

Ricoh is a leading provider of integrated digital services and print and imaging solutions designed to support digital transformation of workplaces, workspaces and optimize business performance.

Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh’s global operation reaches customers in approximately 200 countries and regions, supported by cultivated knowledge, technologies, and organizational capabilities nurtured over its 85-year history. In the financial year ended March 2023, Ricoh Group had worldwide sales of 2,134 billion yen (approx. 16.0 billion USD).

It is Ricoh’s mission and vision to empower individuals to find Fulfillment through Work by understanding and transforming how people work so we can unleash their potential and creativity to realize a sustainable future. 
For further press information, please contact: Ricoh Switzerland Ltd.
Tamara Martelli
Regional Communications Manager
Hertistrasse 2
8304 Wallisellen
Phone: +41 44 832 31 89
E-mail: tamara.martelli@ricoh.ch
Website: www.ricoh.ch/en
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