Deep tech startup Tvasta Manufacturing Solutions, founded by IIT Madras Alumni, has collaborated with Saint-Gobain, a leading multinational company, to develop a 3D-printed Doffing Unit to protect India’s healthcare workers in the frontlines against COVID-19. Two Doffings Units have already been launched with the third one under construction. 

The first such unit has already been deployed at a Government Hospital in Kancheepuram near Chennai, Tamil Nadu, while the second unit has been established at Omandurar Medical College and Hospital, Chennai. The Foundation Stone for the third Doffing Unit has been laid at Government Medical College and Hospital, Thiruvalluvar. 

‘Doffing’ is the procedure of ‘effective and safe removal and proper disposal of PPE. Such Doffing Units are critical for doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers to sanitize themselves after their shifts, safely remove the PPE kits and dispose of them properly. This will ensure that the healthcare workers can go home without taking the risk of carrying the infection. 

Doctors, nurses and other frontline workers returning from treating patients in COVID wards can directly enter the doffing unit to sanitise themselves. The 150 Square feet Doffing Unit is equipped with a washbasin, Water Closet, and shower. A special provision for PPE disposal is provided with a disposal chute to minimise the contamination from the PPE. This design and selection of the equipment have been regarded as the minimum requirement to ensure the safety of frontline workers.

The unit is constructed using innovative concrete 3D printing technology. This technology offers a significant reduction in the time and cost of the unit.  Plumbing and electrical lines are integrated along the 3D printed walls. This helps in the quick commissioning of the unit at the site. The walls are 3D printed with an optimal design with positioned gaps. This significantly reduces the raw material usage and enhances the thermal insulation making it a more sustainable structure compared to conventional structures. 

Tvasta Manufacturing Solutions is part of the new incubator of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, called ‘ASHA Incubator,’ established at IIT Madras. Tvasta was co-founded by three IIT Madras Alums of 2016 Batch - Adithya VS (Dept of Mechanical Engineering), Chief Executive Officer, Vidyashankar C. (Dept of Electrical Engineering), Chief Operating Officer, and Parivarthan Reddy (Dept of Mechanical Engineering), Chief Technology Officer.

What is Concrete 3D Printing?

Tvasta’s ‘Concrete 3D Printing’ is an automated manufacturing method for constructing three-dimensional real-life structures (at all realizable scales). The technique utilizes a Concrete 3D Printer – a Tvasta product – which accepts a computerized three-dimensional design file from the user and fabricates a 3D structure in a layer-by-layer manner by extruding flowable material akin to concrete.

The Advantages of Tvasta’s 3D printing for construction include:  

• Potentially reduce overall construction cost significantly
• Order of magnitude difference in overall construction time
• Bring down the related carbon footprint
• Increase productivity of labour involved 
• Offer raw material flexibility – utilization of eco-friendly materials

Tvasta’s ‘Concrete 3D Printing’ is an automated manufacturing method for constructing three-dimensional real-life structures (at all realizable scales). The technique utilizes a concrete 3D Printer – a Tvasta product – which accepts a computerized three-dimensional design file from the user and fabricates a 3D structure in a layer-by-layer manner by extruding a specialized type of concrete specifically designed for the purpose.