Printable Breast Pump

thingiverse

Check out the description here: http://www.appropedia.org/Printable_Breast_Pump. Sorry, these are SolidEdge Academic Files, so they will not be able to open on commercial software. Also, don't use these to make money, or else the people at SolidEdge may get angry. I have uploaded .stl files as well. Happy printing! I am trying to find a better thread design, as this was adapted using measurments taken from a bottle. If anybody has seen a public domain model that is actually made by a company that produces these things, let me know! Instructions Printing: So, as I have not printed this thing yet, the instructions are a bit lacking in tips and such. Check the assembly file to get a good idea of what it looks like. It should go like this: Print the nipple shield. You should modify this to cup the breast well and also so that the nipple fits in the end bit. Turn the nipple shield over. Zero the RepRap (or similar) in the centre of the hole on the back. Print the "NippleShieldPipeMount" on the back. Sorry for the names, they were originally working titles but I grew attached... You might need to clamp the Nipple Shield in order to stop it moving. Print the Bottle Top. The threads have some overhang, so it might be a bit hairy. Play with it, tell me how it goes. Print the two more NippleShieldPipeMounts on the back of the bottle top. Finally, print two of each of the pipes. They are mirrored, so no left and right to worry about. Put the two halves of each pipe together, clamp or weight while they lay flat, and put them in the oven at slightly lower than the melting temp of the polymer you are using (I recommend HDPE...good properties with food, fairly high melting temp. An oven temp of 250F should do). Watch closely! They should stick together after being in there for a while... think sintering, but for plastic. There are two, one layer thick (0.3mm for the RepRap) bands around the flow channel; these should fuse together due to the increased pressure. Put it all together. The tapers should fit, but you might have to file/sand/push. Use it (if you are a nursing mother... if not, kinda weird)! Operation: Sanitize using boiling water Find a bottle that fits. Sanitize this. Screw it on. A glass bottle works best, and you can modify the lid to fit it. It is currently for a Coke bottle, because they are ubiquitous. Place some petroleum jelly on the seals, assemble. Place the breast in the cup, and try to get a good seal around the nipple. Again, some water or jelly might help (this is a potential issue.. maybe a softer plastic in here might help. Something to think about...) Place the end of the other tube in your mouth. Gently start sucking, mimicking a baby. You want a pulse every few seconds. Change the pressure you use, and stop if it hurts. Breath through your nose, or you will pass out! The suction is created with the tongue, not the lungs! Empty the breast of milk. This will help avoid clogged milk ducts and might also increase the amount you are producing. Pasteurize by placing the bottle in a just boiled pot of water. This is not strictly necessary, but good if you have a transmittable infection, such as HIV. Feed to your baby! A bottle nipple to follow... Breast milk can be left unrefrigerated for a few hours, refrigerated for a few days, and frozen for a few months. Ask your doctor or lactation consultant!