Henkel and Origin Collaborate to Help Meet Demand for COVID-19 Nasopharyngeal Swabs
Working cooperatively with Origin, Henkel supplied knowledge and technology to help design a nasopharyngeal swab that could be 3D printed at scale.
In collaboration with Origin, Henkel recently announced that it has leveraged its ability to carry out biocompatibility and mechanical testing at its facility in Concord, Calif., and provided a range of 3D-printable medical photopolymers designed for use on Origin’s material development systems. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for medical supplies such as testing kits has outpaced supply. The primary protocol involves conducting a nasopharyngeal (NP) swab test, which collects viral material from inside a person’s nasal cavity. Globally, few companies manufacture the swabs commercially, and all are overwhelmed with demand.
The swabs are traditionally made from multiple materials and adjoined prior to sterilization and packaging. Working cooperatively with Origin, Henkel supplied knowledge and technology to help design a swab that could be 3D printed at scale.