I've been seeing lots of 3D printed masks lately. In fact, I have been part of a company that has two printers going 24/7. I have also seen many cloth style ones and wanted to make my own face mask.
The problem that I see with either option is that they dont have an N95 option but since N95 masks are in short supply these options are better than nothing at all. There are some good options of filter materials alternatives that may be a close N95 replacement. Here are the best options as I understand them to be.
1: Furnace filters with a minimum rating MERV 13, MPR 1500, and FPR 10. Layering these is bound to improve filtering but reduces breathability.
2: Hepa vacuum bags
3: Quilters cotton with a high thread count. this option does a good job but the hardest to breath through.
3D Printed Cons
1: Most people including myself don't have one
2: The fabric elastic for securing the mask is two months out
3: Small breathing area making it difficult to breathe
4: Texture that makes it difficult to sanitize
5: Heavy
3D Printed Pros
1: The shape gives a great seal around the face assuming that a seal was applied.
2: Reusable
3: The filter is replaceable
Cloth Cons
1: Bad seal rendering them to have low protection but is likely protecting others from you.
2: The fabric Elastic is all but impossible to find
3: Depending on material, but filtration is limited
4: Quite uncomfortable
5: Need a sewing machine (I currently dont have one)
Cloth Pros
1: light weight
2: easy to make
3: washable
What I tried to accomplish with this video is to combine the filter replace ability and seal like the 3D printed versions yet be light and fairly easy do it yourself option like the cloth ones. I also wanted to make it look a little better.