Abstract—In hospital settings, healthcare personnel are exposed to cuts and ergonomic injuries when opening ampoules. In this study, an Ampoule Opener Machine was developed using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology, adapted to hospital activities, affordable, and safeguarding the safety of healthcare personnel. To achieve this objective, Hospital III Goyeneche in Arequipa was used as a case study, where the requirements of nursing staff were compiled. An Ampoule Opener Machine adapted to the previous requirements was then designed using 3D modeling software and manufactured using 3D printing with locally available materials, achieving an affordable manufacturing cost of less than 100 USD. The machine consists of a portable design with a crank mechanism and is powered by a gear motor, which even allows for simultaneous ampoule opening. In tests, it was evaluated with different types of 20 ml ampoules, demonstrating a preliminary opening effectiveness of up to 83.29%. The machine has also demonstrated biosafety capabilities by trapping most glass fragments and opening ampoules with blunt edges (3.85 mm). These results indicate that the Ampoule Opener Machine developed with FDM technology is safe, affordable, and adaptable to the work of healthcare personnel in hospital settings.

Keywords—ampoule, hospital, design, machine, Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), 3D printing, opening

Cite: Bruno Apaza Apaza, Anderson Giron Mamani, Yuri L. Silva , Erick Valdeiglesias Flores, and Daniela Ponte, "Development of Ampoule Opener Machine Adapted to Hospital Environments Using Fused Deposition Modeling," International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics Research, Vol. 15, No. 5, pp. 474-484, 2026. doi: 10.18178/ijmerr.15.5.474-484

Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).