Swabs are essential tools for collecting biological samples to identify the presence of pathogens, genetic material, or other indicators of disease. For different diagnostic tests, various types of swabs may be configured for insertion into other anatomical sites of a subject to reach different target locations and collect samples. Existing swabs are typically formed of two or more materials like a wooden shaft & cotton tips or plastic shaft & synthetic tips and, may not be suitable due to the risk of contamination and higher manufacturing lead time. So traditional swabs may not be preferable for collecting biological samples of certain diagnostic testing applications.
3D-printed swabs can be manufactured with varying tip shapes and stem lengths to optimize biological sample collection from different targeted locations. These swabs can be fabricated using any 3D printer with sufficient resolution to handle the geometries and with materials cleared for patient contact. The 3D printer uses a Computer-Aided Design (CAD) model created with 3D modeling software, integrally forming the shafts and tips, eliminating the need to attach them separately, and significantly increasing manufacturing output. The tips’ protrusions can be configured to facilitate biological sample collection by varying their size, shape, number, and arrangement, maximizing the surface area that contacts the target location, and improving sample collection. This innovative 3D-printed swab design will revolutionize swab use by reducing contamination risks and maximizing manufacturing efficiency.
Figure 1: (A) A 3D-Printed Swab Shaft with Tips. (B) A plurality of protrusions present in the Tips of the swab