Making simple face shields with a 3d printer
Wanting to do something to help fight Corona Virus, we had a look round our workshops to find anything that could either be useful or repurposed. In countries all over the world there have been pleas for extra protective gear for our healthcare workers and also it will become more important as the days go by for everyone who is having regular contact with the general public to have some sort of protective clothing.
The first thing we identified that could be re-purposed was our 3d printer. This is what we have been using to create the casting molds for our mannequins. After a search online, we found a prototype face shield that is being developed by Prusa printers. In three days, they went through dozens of prototypes and two verifications with the Czech Ministry of Health. They have made all their print files open source meaning anybody with a 3d printer can download the files and have a go. (The Prusa engineers have requested these files are not used to make items for resale)
Here is a link to their page for downloads and construction details
Link to download page for face shields
We have been using up our spare material and each face shield uses a minimal amount. We used some of our book binding covers for the acetate part and made the holes with an office hole punch. These worked really well and cost approx. 10p each and can easily be brought from eBay.
These shields should be donated to anyone that needs them, who don’t have access to the medical equivalent,
Please pass this information along to anyone who has a 3d printer, even if it is your kids !