Official Blog of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Amid shortage of face masks, researchers explore 3D options to guard against COVID-19, other infectious diseases The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a high demand for respiratory protection among health care workers in hospitals, especially surgical N95 face masks – cup-shaped respirators that guard against airborne particles and liquid contaminants. In response, VA researchers are experimenting with 3D-printed masks as a substitute for N95s and other respiratory devices. A newly published study evaluated how well the 3D masks perform, with a focus on the filter materials used to block out airborne particles and liquid contaminants. The project team found a wide range of filter efficiency in the 3D masks, including some filters that met or closely approached the criteria needed to make a typical N95. Others did not filter nearly as well when matched up against the N95.