The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an unprecedented global public health crisis, impacting virtually all aspects of human life and catalyzing research on personal protective equipment (PPE). Due to the shortage of PPE for frontline workers, various local manufacturing initiatives emerged, using additive manufacturing as a way to mitigate the lack of these essential supplies. This work presents the contextualization of the pandemic, highlighting its impact not only on the general population but especially on the work of healthcare professionals in Rio de Janeiro. It also demonstrates strategies observed worldwide to address the PPE shortage caused by high demand and disruptions in supply chains. The work presents the tools and methodologies used in the research and development of three PPEs, using the Research through Design (RtD) methodology to evaluate and document each step, with additive manufacturing as a fundamental tool for their production. Using different 3D printing technologies, the research generated numerous prototypes, which served to iterate the design of the three products: a face shield with embedded technology aimed at Community Health Workers, and two respiratory protection masks that use surgical mask fabric as a filtering medium. The thesis details each design decision made throughout the work and reflects on the potential for future research and applications of additive manufacturing in the healthcare field, in terms of innovation and decentralized production. As an outcome, this work presents the beginning of research on the manufacturing of mask filters, using a machine built with common and accessible tools.