The Benefit of Using Locally Available Materials to Create Affordable PPE

In response to the high demand for face masks which serve as a crucial intervention in preventing the Coronavirus nationally and globally, we have (in partnership with Royal Academy of Engineering) been using locally available resources to address the mask and visor deficit

That ideal world is far from reality. Face shields which for-example are rarely used in standard medical environments outside surgeries and very select procedures, ended up being second in demand only to face masks, which have also been in short supply. One way people get infected is by touching surfaces and then touching the face or mask. The shield acts as a reminder you shouldn’t touch your eyes and shouldn’t touch your mouth

The problem is that shields are only made by a limited number of manufacturers, some domestic but many overseas. That’s how we came in to use locally available resources to produce 3D printed masks and visors

A face shield of the DIY variety typically consists of a molded or printed plastic semi-circle visor, sometimes called a bracket, that is attached often by glue to a piece of foam that rests on the forehead. The unit then attaches to a long sheet of transparent plastic film that sits just above the face, while the masks are made from both hard and flexible plastics in 3 sizes i.e small, medium and large that have a medical grade filament that is meant to be frequently replaced in the mask

Everything is held together with a rubber band or a similar elastic device. It’s a simple way to protect someone’s face when interacting with a potentially COVID-positive patient. These shields are cheaply manufactured, easily sanitized, and then reused. They also aren’t as complicated or bound by regulatory restrictions as, say, respiratory face masks. The lack of regulations surrounding face shields have made them an attractive option for manufacturers large and small looking for a way to pitch in as Crest foam and Nytil

It doesn’t hurt that out of all the PPE in short supply during COVID-19, face shields are among the easiest to produce, a single unit can be constructed with basic materials by anyone with a 3D printer since they’re easy to produce relatively quickly

We have so far managed to assemble face shields and print 3D masks, and distributed units to hospitals, office blocks, clinics, construction sites and other groups of first responders

We think the situation has really shown what 3D printing in combination with a select locally produced & available resources are capable of, which is not long-term mass production, but filling a need for very rapid production, on-demand and highly customized items

This crisis demonstrates locally available resources and 3D printing as a rapid, flexible, reliable and cost-effective approach to manufacturing. In a volatile market with ever-changing demands, the versatility of 3D printing can be crucial to maintaining production 

If you would like to contact us about any of our face shields and masks, then feel free to get in touch here.