COMMUNITY: 3D printing pros unite to help health staff

Wednesday 01 April 2020

A group of 40 islanders have pulled together to put their 3D printers to good use by creating protective face visors for health staff.

Computing teacher Max Livesey, a member of the ‘Open Source Respirators’ Facebook group, says up to 100 visors could be created every day if they are approved by staff at the hospital.

The visors consist of a headband that sits over the top of the head on the eyebrow with a large sheet of clear plastic sitting in front of the face.

They intention behind the design is to avoid small particles coming into contact with health staff when they are taking to someone face-to-face or carrying out medical procedures to minimise their risk of infection during the covid-19 pandemic.

Video: Prusa, a company from Czech Republic, has developed an open-source protective face shield.

The local initiative mirrors others seen across the globe and was inspired by the open-source face shields Prusa, a 3D-printing company from Czech Republic, shared on their site. 

Due to the “acute shortage of protective wear for medical personnel in the current pandemic situation”, Prusa developed the protective face shield design before printing and donating over 12,000 of them to medics and other professionals in the Czech Republic.

With the shortage being global, they urged everyone with a 3D printer to get involved to produce the shields not only for hospitals but also “first responders like police officers and firemen… dentists, or just grocery store staff.” 

“Simply put, you could offer your help to all those who now have to stay in the service or be in contact with many other people in the time of crisis,” Prusa wrote. 

Video: Anyone with a 3D printer is invited to get making face visors.

Local 3D printing enthusiasts, some of whom regularly meet at Jersey Library as part of the Jersey Maker Group, as well as Victoria College and Jersey College for Girls, have answered the call and offered to put their machines to use to provide face visors for health staff.

“All over the world this is happening - people with their own printer are making face visors,” Mr Livesey, a teacher at D'Auvergne School who are providing their 3D printer for use, said. 

“We have been trying to find as many people in Jersey as possible, who cannot go out at the moment but can have a small-scale manufacture in their home.”

There are currently 40 people on the “production line” and the first 20 masks to be printed locally have been sent to the hospital to be evaluated.

“They are testing them out and we are waiting to hear from them,” Mr Livesey said.

“Everyone is all primed and ready to run so that we can start producing these once we get the confirmation that they are happy with them."

Pictured: Staff at the hospital are testing some of the first face visors.

Once production gets up and running, each “manufacturer” will be briefed on the best way to store and package the visors to minimise contamination.

To help reduce the risk of cross-infection, Jersey Post has also agreed to take care of the pick-up and delivery, while Ken Hudson, who owns a garage in St. Lawrence, will be constructing the visors and storing them. 

“Everything is in place,” Mr Livesey said. “We are just waiting for the call to say, ‘Let’s get going.' It’s kind of frightening to think that in two or three weeks we will be hitting the peak in Jersey. We want to be producing the visors as quickly as possible so that we can protect anyone with close contact with patients.”

Pictured: Ken Hudson modelling one of the face visors.

One visor takes about two-and-a-half hours to be printed, which could mean that up to 100 visors could be manufactured every day “with everyone at full pelt”.

“People have had their printers sitting at home and made little gizmos for years, but now it’s a real positive for them to think that they can put it to good use for the good of the island,” Mr Livesey said.

“People talk about wartime spirit and I think it’s true that a lot of people out there want to help.” 

Anyone with a 3D printer who wishes to get involved should contact Max Livesey (maxlivesey@googlemail.com) or Ken Hudson.