US Army Will Use 3D Printing To Create Individual Custom Fitting Ear Protection Devices

3D printed customizable army earplugs may be coming soon

Wednesday, June 3, 2020 - The US Army is taking their soldier's hearing safety preparations into their own hands since the debacle surrounding the failures of the 3M Dual-Sided Combat Army Earplug rendered tens of thousands of soldiers with various degrees of hearing impairment serious enough for them to require lifetime disability income and other benefits. Going forward, each soldier could have their outer and inner ear individually molded and custom ear protection created instantly using 3D printing. The army understands that effective hearing protection is essential for soldiers whose tasks require them to be around loud machinery like jet engines and gunfire on the rifle practice range.

Army scientist from the US Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory acknowledges that soldiers that experience a combat hearing loss event can be rendered instantly vulnerable to enemy attack by being disoriented and also unable to hear critical battlefield communications. Thousands of soldiers may have died this way in Afghanistan and Iraq due to the negligence of 3M Inc., selling the defective Dual-Sided Combat Army Earplug which did not fit the individual ear size specifications for soldiers. Hearing damage is the leading reason veterans have filed for disability income.

According to 3dprintingindustry.com, 3D printing requires that the outer ear is molded however molding materials can enter deep into the ear and cause hearing damage itself. The solution the army has come up with is to use digital scanning methods to produce precise measurements without the risks of the traditional molding in cases where that is possible. After digitally scanning the inner ear, a soldier's "ear print" is used to create the 3D model in-house and sent to a manufacturer to be made. While the technology of digitally scanning the inner ear to provide data to create the 3D earplug is promising, it is not quite ready to be implemented and for the time being, will be used in conjunction with traditional inner-ear molding.

The need for more effective hearing protection has never been greater than it is now in the wake of the 3M Army Earplug debacle. Over 100,000 soldiers have filed suit against 3M claiming that the faulty army earplug that they were told was reliable by the manufacturer allowed loud noises to enter and produce hearing damage and also tinnitus, the constant, maddening ringing in one's ears. Veterans with tinnitus find it difficult to sleep and need to keep a fan or TV on all night to compete with the constant ringing in their ears. Veterans and active-duty soldiers have hired Army Earplug Lawyers who have filed claims on their behalf seeking compensation for lost wages of not being able to hold a job and the pain and suffering of not being able to have normal social relationships with their spouses and children. Attorneys representing US vets claim that 3M, the manufacturer of the failed army earplugs had a responsibility to the US military and taxpayer to supply a product that would protect soldier's hearing, instruct them on its proper usage, and warn them of the potential for malfunction. 3M's defense counters by claiming the company has met minimum military standards and should not be held liable as it was the government's obligation to test the product any further.

More Recent 3M Earplug Lawsuit News:

• 3M May Settle Army Earplug Cases For Tens of Billions of Dollars | 4/6/2021
• 3M Combat Army Earplug Trial To Begin In Two Weeks | 3/17/2021
• Whistleblower Lawsuit Alerted The Military To Army Earplug Malfunction | 2/20/2021
• 3 Cases Selected For Army Hearing Loss Trial | 1/29/2021
• Military Veterans Tell the Stories of Their Hearing Loss Nightmare | 1/8/2021
• Military Veteran Hearing Loss Trials to Start in Spring 2021 | 12/26/2020
• Hundreds of Veterans Continue To Sign Up To Sue 3M For Defective Earplugs | 12/14/2020
• 3M's Greed Contributed To Thousands of Military Deaths and Injuries | 12/6/2020
• Taxpayers Foot The Bill For Army Earplugs That Turned Out To Be Defective | 11/21/2020
• Tinnitus Sufferers May Have Difficulties For The Remainder of Their Lives | 11/14/2020
• Aearo Inc. and 3M Took Shorcuts And Did Not Properly Redesign The Combat Army Earplugs | 11/3/2020
• US Military Alleges 3M Fraudulently Represented The Army Earplug | 10/27/2020
• Large Numbers of Soldiers Are Filing 3M Army Earplug Lawsuits Against 3M Inc. | 10/15/2020
• Soldiers Thought Their Hearing Protection Was Adequate | 9/28/2020
• Army Veterans Are Preparing For Court Over Hearing Loss | 9/24/2020
• Details Are Starting to Emerge About The 3M Army Earplug | 9/22/2020
• 3M Faces an Uphill Challenge in Defense of The Army Earplug | 9/18/2020
• 3M Faces an Uphill Challenge in Defense of The Army Earplug | 9/9/2020
• 200,000 Military Veterans Suing 3M For Defective Hearing Protection | 8/31/2020
• Thousands of Military Veterans Suing Over Hearing Loss | 8/26/2020
• Federal Judge Rules 3M Is Responsible For The Army Earplug Design | 7/28/2020
• Army Testing Points To The Need For Improving Hearing Protection Equipment | 7/14/2020
• Trials By Plaintiffs Alleging Hearing Damage From 3M Army Earplugs To Begin in the Spring of 2021 | 7/10/2020
• Army Veterans With Tinnitus Are Unable To Live Normal Lives | 6/29/2020
• Soldier's Lawsuits Bring Needed Attention To Developing Hearing Protection | 6/12/2020
• Unsealed Court Documents Show 3M Made Nearly 1000% Profit Selling Combat Earplugs | 5/26/2020
• The US Army Is Training Soldiers to Protect Their Hearing | 5/7/2020
• Billions of Dollars Will Be Needed To Reimburse Taxpayers For Veterans Hearing Loss Disability Payments | 5/1/2020
• The US Military Prioritized Soldier's Hearing Protection Needs In Iraq and Afghanistan | 4/17/2020
• 3M Thinks Army Earplug Lawsuits Against Them May Be Thrown Out of Court Before They Begin | 4/6/2020
• Hearing Protection May Have Been Overlooked By Some During Combat Operations | 3/30/2020
• There Is Still Time To File An Army Earplug Hearing Loss Claim | 3/18/2020
• Naval Flight Deck Workers Also Experienced Hearing Damage Due To Defective 3M Earplugs | 3/11/2020
• Army Veterans With Hearing Damage Are Filing Lawsuits Against The Maker of Their Defective Earplugs | 3/5/2020
• Army Earplug Trials Against 3M Could Start Early Next Year | 2/18/2020
• Improvised Explosive Devices Caused More Serious Army Injuries Than Any Other Enemy Weapon | 2/6/2020
• Aereo Inc, maker of 3M Earplugs May Have Known The Combat Safety Device Would Not Work | 2/3/2020
• 3M Corporation Could Be Forced to Pay Veterans For Their Hearing Damage | 1/24/2020
• There Are Resources Available To Help Military Veterans Cope With Their Hearing Loss | 1/7/2020
• The False Claims Act Settlement Against 3M Proides Ammunition to Lawsuits Filed By Soldiers With Hearing Damage | 12/31/2019
• Faulty Combat Earplug Cost Taxpayers Billions | 12/24/2019
• Hearing Damage May Effect More Than 60 percent of Military | 12/20/2019
• Military Veterans Returning Home Tell Stories of Hearing Loss In Spite of Wearing Hearing Protection | 12/9/2019
• Hearing Loss Effects Servicemen From All Branches of The Military | 11/20/2019
• Lawsuits Pile Up Alleging 3M Earplug Negligence | 11/14/2019
• Service Members Claim 3M's Defective Combat Army Earplug Caused Permanent Hearing Damage | 11/11/2019
• Soldiers Can Fight For Compensation In Court For Their Hearing Loss | 10/31/2019
• Whistleblowers Can Save Taxpayers Money and Military Servicemember Lives | 10/15/2019
• New Army Earplug Lawsuit Accuses 3M of Fraud | 10/11/2019
• Military Veterans Are Suing 3M For Making Faulty Earplugs | 10/7/2019
• Military Personel Suffering From Tinnitus Have Found Ways To Alleviate Their Suffering | 9/26/2019
• Hearing Loss is Now Recognized For The Debilitating Service Injury It Is | 9/17/2019
• US Service Members Are Spreading The Word About The Faulty And Defective 3M Combat Army Earplug | 9/12/2019
• 3M Vows to Fight Lawsuits Alleging The Faulty Design of the 3M Combat Army Earplug | 8/28/2019
• Faulty 3M Earplugs Cost Thousands of Soldiers Their Hearing | 8/23/2019
• The Army's Hearing May Be Improving Soon | 8/13/2019
• CBS Interviewed Returning Servicemen As To The 3M Combat Army Earplug Experiences | 8/8/2019
• The Army's Tactical Communication and Protective System (TCPS) May Replace The Ineffective 3M Combat Army Earplug | 8/6/2019
• Soldiers Should Be Checked For Hearing Loss | 8/1/2019
• The 3M Combat Army Earplug Malfunctioned Causing Permanent Disability | 7/25/2019
• 3M Army Earplug Failure Can Cause Post Traumatic Stress Disorder | 7/18/2019
• Military Veterans May Be Unaware That They Have Hearing Loss | 7/11/2019
• Today’s Enclosed Gun Battles Can Increase Hearing Injuries | 7/8/2019
• 3M Army Earplug Lawsuits Are Moving Forward To Discovery in Multi-District Litigation | 6/27/2019
• Service Members Continue To File Army Earplug Lawsuits | 6/24/2019
• 3M Failed Soldiers By Selling Earplugs They Knew Were Defective To The Military | 6/20/2019
• Service Members Have Needlessly Lost Hearing Due to 3M's Fraud, Deceit, and Deception | 6/11/2019
• Hearing Loss Should Be Taken More Seriously | 6/4/2019
• Hearing Loss Has Many Serious Permanent Psychological Implications for Service Members | 5/28/2019
• Soldiers With Hearing Damage Are Blaming Their Earplugs | 5/22/2019
• Service Members Experience Hearing Loss From Defective Earplugs | 5/14/2019
• Army Servicemen Are Filing Hearing Loss Claims Against Earplug Maker 3M | 5/9/2019
• Hearing Loss From Defective Army Earplugs On The Frontlines and The Practice Range | 5/1/2019
• Hearing Loss Can Be A Deadly Battlefield Injury | 4/26/2019
• Servicemen Describe Hearing Loss Caused By The 3M Army Earplug | 4/22/2019
• The False Claims Act website helps whistleblower anonymously come forward easily and without fear of reprisals by their superiors | 4/15/2019
• Hundreds Of Army Earplug Lawsuits Consolidated in Federal Court | 4/9/2019
• Soldiers Are Filing Claims Against 3M Army Earplugs | 4/8/2019
• Army Veterans Have Suffered Hearing Loss From Defective Earplugs | 4/5/2019
• Whistleblower Reports Defective 3M Army Earplugs | 4/2/2019
• Service Member Suffer Tinnitus From Defective 3M Army Earplugs | 3/29/2019

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