3D printed face shields
Face shields are used by health care professionals to protect them when working with patients. Hospital supplies are running low. While they prefer to use commercially manufactured ones, in this emergency they are looking for alternative sources.
These shields are made on a 3D printer. If you have a 3D printer, you can make these. We have several at Maker Nexus that will be running as long as we have supplies. We need volunteers come in to service the printing. We also need volunteers to assemble the final shields. We will deliver them to local hospitals.
Is there really a need?
- We've heard from friends that "nurses are cutting up plastic soda bottles to make face shields, using saran wrap on top of N95 masks to allow for multi-use."
- One local nurse said they are making face shields from cut up shower curtains and hot glue guns.
In reviewing the current design: "The nurses were over the moon about how easily the shields can be disassembled and sterilized."
We are ramping up to make 1,000 a week, maybe more.
If your health care facility needs face shields, fill in this form:
We Need Face Shields
Make at home
Use Your 3D Printer for good
We are establishing a network of 3D printer owners who can make the headbands for us. You make them and deliver them to our facility where we do the assembly and get them to the hospitals. If you want to be part of our network, fill in this form and we will contact you:
I want to help
Materials Needed
Donations of PETG filament are most useful at this time - if you aren't able to print yourself. You can arrange a drop-off at Maker Nexus - please seal the filament in a plastic bag with a bag of dessicant if available and leave in the box by the front door of Maker Nexus. Please use appropriate procedures when packaging - including wearing a new pair of gloves and a facemask if available. You can also donate via PayPal towards COVID-19 efforts that Maker Nexus is working on.
We also need elastic, particularly button hole elastic in 3/4" widths.
Additional requests: 3/4" open cell foam for disposable masks 3/4"-1" elastic for disposable masks .010" thick PETG film for disposable masks
Instructions
Print with PETG for ease of sanitation - IPA, Hydrogen Peroxide, Bleach, and Acetic Acid up to 10% can all be safely used with PETG.
Print settings: Temperature based on filament selection. 3 perimeters 100% infill .3mm Draft settings in PrusaSlicer work fine, we are running our Prusa's at 130% speed from that file.
Plans
We are focusing production on the Prusa RC2 headband currently, based on feedback from medical professionals. If your printer is large enough to print the RC2 design, PLEASE switch production to that. If your printer cannot accommodate that, RC1 pieces are still helpful.
3D printed parts
PREFERRED: Prusa RC2 STL file for Prusa mk3 Printers, arranged to print 2 at one time:
- Prusa RC2 (x2) STL File
Here are some gcode files for common printers (WIP):
* Prusa MK3S (Right click and select "Save link as". Then save as type ".gcode" -- instead of .txt -- before printing!):
- RC2(x2) / PETG
- RC2(x2) / PLA
Older versionPrusa RC1 STL file for Prusa mk3 Printers, arranged to print 3 at one time:
- Prusa RC1 (x3) STL File
The plastic shield part
Assembly Video
The original Prusa design
What to do with the finished product
Seal in plastic bag and deliver to Maker Nexus - a box for donated parts will be outside the front door. Please be sure you are following proper sanitation procedures when you bag parts - if possible, wear gloves and a breathing mask, wipe or spray with disinfectant if available. We want to minimize the chance of cross-contamination. After it reaches MN, we will be further disinfecting with alcohol before delivering to its end destination.
Help at MN
What we need
Donate via Paypal to support COVID-19 response efforts by Maker Nexus. PETG Filament Elastic Open cell foam (1" thick")
Who to contact
MN members join the #covid-faceshield channel on Slack
