Airflow Displacement Perforated Insert Mesh Mask [ADPIMM]

Ever got tired of not being able to breath in a surgical or N95 mask because it's too stuffy or it got wet throughout a shift of work? I made a prototype that might solve that issue! This mask takes inspiration from mic pop filters with how some metal wire mesh pop filters deflect the airflow downwards while allowing ventilation to mitigate moisture and humidity buildup! Simple frame and mesh insert prints of two materials, PLA and TPU, are all that's needed!

I decided to attempt to make this type of mask after I was out at a concert and my friend who was DJing had a difficult time breathing due to the heat making him sweat and speaking into a microphone with his mask on increased the moisture in his mask to the point his surgical/covid mask was deforming and stopping his airflow every time he tried to breathe through his nose or mouth. Figured a 3D print would mitigate these two issues.

*This mask and mesh were designed with personal facial dimensions and may need revisions to customize for better fitting on other individuals.

1. ~150g of PLA for the Mask Frame and its supports is needed for the print
2. ~30g of TPU for the mesh (30 degrees works best. 60 degrees on the inside helps ease the airflow into the sharper 30 degree angle outlets to reduce pressure in mask when exhaling.)
3. Elastic strap of any kind

*The "~" is to indicate these values may change depending on the revisions needed for fitting it to the user's facial dimensions

Make sure to print this in PLA with the frame's jawline and chin touching the plate so the supports can work its way around the frame and inside the cheek bone so the print's structural integrity holds as it prints! I used 200mm/s with a brim bed adhesion and tree supports with a breakaway distance of 0.5mm for my print.

This mesh is the TPU used to redirect both the nasal and oral exhales to deflect downwards either at 30 degrees or 60 degrees. I found the highest success of keeping the airflow from traveling forwards with the 30 degrees as it deflects most of the air down in front.

Ensure that the perforated mesh has the holes angled downwards when installing the mesh. Ease the Mesh fins into the slots in the mask mouth hole and push them in one side at a time. It should fit seamlessly with the frame and hold well as long as the TPU has no thermal warping during its print.

Adjust the strap till its snug and comfortable and now you won't have to deal with having it get stuffy in your mask and worry less about when you sneeze without the reduced airflow when you need to take a breath.

Hopefully this gives you some better ideas that you can use in your next project! Till then, hope you enjoy this mask!

*I've tried this with TPU to try to get a more comfortable fit but my FDM printer ended up having some structural integrity issues to which did not have any change in success rate no matter the orientation of the slice done for the print. A suggestion to try would be to laser TPU print such that no supports are needed.