The 250000:1 model can be used to test tiny capillaries made between the ‘spikes’ of the virus to examine how they lose water.
According to MetShape, its metal 3D printing process was necessary to make capillaries small enough to test them effectively.
The company used precise indirect AM to print, debind and sinter the model, and provide a finished model to nanoGUNE. No post-processing steps for the virus model were required, as the technology achieves the required surface quality without the requirement of support structures, the company said.
Compared to a standard polymer model, the metal model performs significantly better due to the lower mass of the water, based on the smaller size of the model, Metshape said. While both models were hydrophilized with an adhesive spray, in the case of the polymer model the resulting large water mass caused droplet artefacts, while the metal model was correctly wetted.
“Thanks to the model printed by MetShape, we can now carry out our experiments on the wetting and dewetting of water on viruses and thus achieve a new milestone in the research of virus aerosols,” said Professor Alexander Bittner at NanoGUNE. “With the new possibilities through innovative manufacturing technologies, we are taking a big step closer to our long-term goal of protecting as many people as possible from virus infections.”
