[Updated] Medtronic releases all CAD files and PCB schematics for PB560 ventilator manufacturing

Medtronic, one of the largest medical device manufacturers in the world, has released the design specifications for the Medtronic PB560 ventilator system to help address the shortage of ventilators due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first release over 200 pages of documentation. In the v2 release that was just published, the firm made available manufacturing fixtures, printed circuit board drawings (including multiple BOMs), mechanical part drawings and even all 3D CAD files. Some of these parts could be rapidly produced using 3D printing and Medtronic is certainly not new to the technology.

This is truly a first and impressive initiative from Medtronic, as the company works with Tesla, at the automaker’s New York facility to scale up the US’s ventilator reserves. The documentation is also meant to help engineering firms who are looking to develop their own systems and have the capabilities to design all the necessary components. Medtronic also invites manufacturers, engineers, and other innovators to use these files as inspiration for their own innovations.

Links to the v1 and v2 documents, files and models can be found here. Medtronic has assured that even more documents pertaining to the PB560 ventilator system will be made available soon. These files may be used subject to the terms of the license agreement acknowledged and included in the attached files, within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. While Medtronic is providing these assets free of charge for third-party development, according to the terms and conditions specified in your acknowledgment, the firm does not assume any liability or responsibility for its use or application.

As of March 18th Medtronics increased production by more than 40 percent to date and is on track to more than double its capacity to manufacture and supply ventilators in response to the urgent needs of patients and healthcare systems across the globe confronting COVID-19. Medtronic manufactures the Puritan Bennett 980 (PB 980) and Puritan Bennett 840 (PB 840) high-performance ventilators in Galway, Ireland, which are primarily designed for critically ill patients in high acuity setting. A COVID-19 patient (with or without an underlying health issue) could be such a critically ill patient.

With a standard price tag of about $8,000, the PB 650 portable ventilator was introduced in 2010 and has the recorded a decade of proficient performances, and it is also much simpler to carry and produce than the more advanced systems from Medtronic.

*This article was updated on April 1st, 2020 to reflect the fact that Medtronic made available all CAD files and PCB schematics in the v2 release