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Solving An Urgent Need: Shapeways Produces Hard Hat Shields for Plant Workers

Shapeways hard hat shield, front view — *Shapeways 3D Printing Technician, Conor Scourby, wearing the hard hat face shield*

The spread of COVID-19 has led to closures all over the country, but meat and vegetable processing plants have been ordered to remain open and the CDC has made wearing face shields mandatory for plant workers. Since they haven’t had to source these face shields in the past, many don’t know where to turn when their usual PPE suppliers are out of stock. The medical face shields could be made to work in some instances but were not ideal, as plant workers must wear hard hats and the medical shields’ band makes for an uncomfortable and awkward fit. The food production plants then put out a request for a better fitting shield solution that could work with a hard hat or a bump cap. We reached out directly to the plants to supplement this sudden need for more suitable protection in their work environment during a global pandemic.

Hard Hat Shield Design Conception

The hard hat face shield was designed by our Shapeways team that includes Thomas Brown, 3D printing engineer in the SLS department, Kyle Jaworowski, 3D Printing Engineer, and Juan Mercedes, Production Manager.

“The three of us collaborated on the design of the face shield,” said Thomas. “Kyle designed the fasteners to integrate a more comfortable strap to replace the rubber bands that were originally used, while Juan and I focused on material and machine volume usage to optimize the end price.” Using the Shapeways Face Shield v2, a modification of the Prusa RC2 Face Shield developed by Prusa Research, the team modified the previous face shield design to integrate with existing hard hats.

Our team used the MSA VGuard hard hat as the basis for the design because, based on our conversations with plant managers, this is the more universal option in the industry. Using the hard hat has worked out better than a traditional bump cap, because of the ability to clip the face shield frame to the sides of the hard hat.

The Prototypes

We designed and produced the first hard hat shield prototype in two days. We then made adjustments to the measurements to achieve a more uniform fit and to the attachment pegs to keep the visor more securely in place. After no more than three revisions the hard hat shield’s final design was complete.

The Finished Hard Hat Shield

The final iteration consists of a plastic band with protruding pegs for the attachment of a clear visor. The assembled face shield can then be clipped onto the bottom of the hard hat’s brim on the sides. We printed the hard hat shields using SLS plastic for affordability and versatility. The entire designing, prototyping, and printing process took two weeks.

Available for On-Demand Orders

These hard hat shields are made to suit the unexpected and immediate needs of essential plant workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The hard hat shields can be printed as needed and fulfill a more functional alternative to typical face masks in the food production environment. 3D printing offers immediate solutions to urgent needs for PPE during the COVID-19 crisis and can fulfill that need until the regular sources are able to provide the necessary supplies again.

These hard hat shields can be used as additional protection for workers in any environment where hard hats are worn. To place an order for these face shields please contact our Shapeways sales team directly at bizdev@shapeways.com.

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How 3D Printing is Contributing to COVID-19 Relief

The rapid spread of Coronavirus across the world has meant that healthcare facilities have quickly become overloaded and are experiencing a severe deficit in necessary equipment and supplies. Many members of the 3D printing community have set to work producing protective wear for medical personnel, as well as anti-contamination accessories and more. Though not everything can be fully 3D printed due to FDA regulations and the complexity of medical equipment, 3D printing offers a fast prototyping and production process so that it may step in where traditional manufacturing falls short.

1. Valves & Ventilator Parts

As Coronavirus cases in hospitals grew, valves and other ventilator parts quickly ran out. In Italy, after the supply of Venturi valves disappeared and the original manufacturer was unable to produce more fast enough, they turned to 3D printing. A local startup, Issinova, was able to produce working parts in 24 hours. The valves were first printed using a filament extrusion system at the hospital, and were later printed using a polymer laser powder bed fusion process and a custom polyamide based material.

2. Snorkeling Mask Ventilator

Issinova also successfully tested a 3D printed adapter part printed from Nylon PA11 and PA12 to turn a commercial snorkeling mask into an emergency non-invasive respirator. Though the mask is not certified as a medical device, it has still been helpful as a last resort or in areas where other equipment is scarce.

3. Face Shields

Selvin, registered nurse, wearing a face shield 3d printed by Shapeways

Many companies like Shapeways have been contributing to the production of face shields to help supply hospitals with PPE. Shapeways’ face shields are modified versions of the Prusa design and are printed using SLS technology with medical grade materials so that they may be disinfected for repeat use. Learn more about Shapeways’ Sponsor A Face Shield program.

4. Test Swabs

The ability to test people for Coronavirus is a crucial tool in slowing down the spread and identifying asymptomatic people. Nasal swabs are typically produced using injection molding and flocking, with a piece of polyester material attached to a plastic rod. Because traditional swabs have an intentional weak point that allows them to break to fit into the vial for transport to a lab, one challenge in printing them is making sure the material used is strong enough to collect a substantial enough sample from a patient’s nose without breaking while also being able to fit into the vial. Many parties are working on developing successful designs for swabs and are able to prototype quickly, even producing as many as 50 prototypes in 36 hours. Swabs can be printed in a material that is autoclavable, which would make them reusable. Shapeways is currently working on our own swabs as well.

5. Face Masks

The concern with 3D printed face masks is that though they might provide a physical barrier, they may not provide the same fluid resistance, air filtration and infection control of an N95 mask which utilize melt-blown fabric with ultrafine fibers. There have been several designs working towards that level of protection and others that can still be helpful used in non-medical environments. LuxMea’s bespoke Nuo face masks make for a more comfortable experience wearing a mask and use interchangeable filters. Each mask can be customized for individual fit, assuring a maximum of coverage for each person. They launched a kickstarter to fund their work in April and have already doubled their goal.

6. Door Opening Accessories

Many designs for 3D printed accessories for avoiding contamination from touch have popped up, including a wrist attachment for hand sanitizer and tools for opening doors and touching buttons. 3D LifePrints created The Distancer, a joint ID card holder and door opener for healthcare professionals as a way to reduce contamination while moving through buildings. The Corona Hook from Shapeways marketplace designer N3D can be carried as a personal accessory and allows for the opening of lever style door handles. Other designs feature screw-on hands free door openers as well as personal door openers that can be used to press buttons, can all be found on the Shapeways COVID-19 supplies hub.

7. 3D Printed Quarantine Booths

In Xianning, Chinese company Winsun 3D printed quarantine booths to relieve pressure from hospitals. Each house is 10×10 meters and 2.8 meters high and the walls of 15 houses were 3D printed in 24 hours using recyclable materials such as sand and construction rubble. Each house has a bathroom, air conditioning, meets insulation requirements and can accommodate up to 2 people.

The best materials for the production of any item to help with COVID-19 relief are those that can withstand intense cleaning processes and will not deteriorate when disinfected, such as Nylon PA12. In addition, SLS and powder bed polymer fusion technologies present less porous and smoother surfaces than extrusion printers for example, making them less likely to collect bacteria in crevices and therefore more ideal. Normally all of these items would be subject to lengthy processes of clinical trials, but because of the emergency nature of the Coronavirus spread many people are stepping up quickly to help compensate for the deficit in supplies. A lot of these innovative contributions are still in early stages, testing is ongoing and the role that 3D printing can play in COVID-19 relief will continue to develop.

Want to
Help?

Many people have made successful designs downloadable on the internet so that anyone with access to a printer could contribute. You can sponsor a face mask through Shapeways or download the 3d model file to print your own. There are also door openers available in the Shapeways marketplace. If you feel like you can contribute with your design skills, upload your design now to start printing through Shapeways.

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An Update on Shapeways’ COVID-19 Face Shield Program

Why Shapeways Started Making Face Shields

If you’re new to Shapeways or have not read our previous blog posts about Shapeways + COVID-19, here’s a brief summary.

In late March, as COVID-19 started to spread in the US, the Shapeways team began receiving a flurry of calls from hospitals across the U.S. asking for personal protective equipment (PPE) for doctors, nurses and other staff treating patients infected with the coronavirus. Almost immediately, it became apparent that the biggest unmet PPE need for hospital staff that 3D printing could address was face shields, which protect against flying respiratory droplets from sneezes and coughs that can transmit coronavirus.

Filling In the Need to Support Medical Teams

We quickly pivoted and got an exemption to keep our Long Island City factory running for COVID-19 production. Our operations in New York City now focus entirely on printing PPE, specifically reusable, industrial-grade face shields, based on the Prusa RC1 design developed by Prusa Research.

*Kosina, OB/GYN Resident at Coney Island Hospital, wearing a 3D printed face shield provided by Shapeways.*

Since Shapeways received that first phone call in late March from a hospital administrator, I am proud to say that we have manufactured and delivered thousands of shields to a dozen medical organizations in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, with a growing list that will receive shields in the coming days. Currently, we are able to produce over 1,000 shields a day.

“Thank you so much, this is much appreciated. I can’t thank you enough for helping us frontliners battle this invisible war.” – Metropolitan Hospital (Emergency Department)

3D Printing As A Fast, Stopgap Solution But An Imperfect One

We know that we are far from the only 3D printers pitching in to design, manufacture and distribute PPE to medical workers. It’s been amazing to see creators stepping in to help, such as the team at Prusa Research who designed the original Prusa Face Shield, and whose CEO had personally given our team the license to produce these. We’re also deeply inspired by all the individual makers, small businesses and large companies that have put everything aside to help frontline workers.

Let’s be clear, a $29 face shield is not an ideal price point nor is it a permanent replacement of one-time use PPE the medical staff used to purchase for under $3. However, as is evident by watching and reading the news, we cannot wait for the ideal solution. While the regular supply chains that manufacture cost-effective face shields are running behind due to extremely high demand (as of April 9, the US national stockpile is down to 10%, according to Vice), 3D printed face shields are filling in the gap with production that can be done under 24 hours.

The manufacturing and delivery of 3D printed face shields to healthcare workers is not a simple or low-cost process. It involves many steps, including design testing, iterating, printing, post processing, shield cutting and drilling, assembly, cleaning, packaging and shipping.

*“One of the sturdiest we’ve used,” said Selvin about the Shapeways face shields he and his team received from Shapeways. Selvin is a registered nurse at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center*.

When we started producing the Prusa RC1 face shield, this cost us $40 to produce each unit. Based on feedback we have received from hospital workers, we are now working on the 6th iteration of our face shield. We have five engineers constantly working on the design of the model to optimize for cost and to improve the efficiency and comfort of these face shields.

We’ve made substantial progress in printing the highest quality shields possible and in getting costs down so that we can print as many shields as possible. We were able to drive the cost down to $29 per unit and will continue to improve this as much as possible. We also welcome anyone to share with us low-cost solutions that we could produce using 3D printing technology.

Currently, our Long Island City factory where we produce this PPE, is operating and staffed 6 days a week for 10 hours a day. On any given day, we have 15 employees on site working 10-hour shifts to make PPE. We’re also actively looking into printing ventilator components, nasal swabs, and other applications that would help tackle COVID-19.

Shapeways Gives Back

*Chen, OB/GYN Resident at Coney Island Hospital, wearing a 3D printed face shield provided by Shapeways.*

Shapeways efforts to support the fight against COVID-19 are being done at cost. We can not provide these free of charge so we are looking for alternative ways to fund these efforts. Last week we launched a crowdfunding campaign to further expand our face shield production efforts and Shapeways will fund 1 for every 4 face shields purchased through the crowdfunding campaign. This campaign, driven by our amazing community, helped us to produce over 3,000 face shields and counting.

The COVID-19 pandemic may last through the summer, and reports have emerged that it may become a seasonal virus. There will be an ongoing need for PPE. We plan on continuing to iterate, print and distribute PPE, including face shields, as long as hospitals need it. We will always do our best to minimize costs and maximize quality, while also ensuring that we can keep our doors open, machines running and staff working.

Finally, thank you to the entire Shapeways community. We have received an overwhelming amount of contributions to our crowdfunding campaign. It shows us that we are part of a movement to make the world better through 3D printing. And we want to thank our employees at the factory, whose work is filling in a critical need at this time. While many people are in lockdown, they are considered to be part of the essential teams out there working to fight against the virus. Thank you for helping to keep the frontline workers safe.

There’s still a lot of work to do. Let’s get to it.

The post An Update on Shapeways’ COVID-19 Face Shield Program appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Letter From Our CEO About COVID-19

The whole world is fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. With our company head-quartered in what is now the epicenter of the crisis in New York City, we have never felt more connected with the communities around us, and more compelled to contribute with everything we can to help fight against this virus.

For the past couple of weeks, we have heard from doctors, nurses, hospital workers and essential staff who have spoken with me personally to seek out alternative solutions to the current shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE). “We are conducting critical procedures with scarves around our faces. We need help!” said one doctor. And he’s not alone. Medical staff at hospitals around the world are bravely combating the COVID-19 pandemic, but they desperately need more protective equipment. Scarves do not protect against infectious particles, nor does using a bandana, another example we heard from a different healthcare worker.

How Additive Manufacturing Can Help

While traditional manufacturers focus on changing production lines in order to scale up mass production for PPE, the additive manufacturing industry can act fast and move swiftly! Shapeways has been granted “essential status” by the government so that we can keep our Long Island City factory in NYC open to produce and distribute protective equipment for the frontline healthcare staff. We have pivoted our focus to make production of these equipment our priority.

And now we are turning to you for help! Help us sponsor the 3D printing production of PPE so we can continue to do what we do best – making quality 3D printed products and send it to hospitals in need.

Help Sponsor A Face Shield

Please visit the Shapeways COVID-19 Community Response Initiative, where you can sponsor the production of 3D Printed Reusable Face Shields that are desperately needed by our medical community. You can contribute $20 (or more!) towards the production of these reusable face shields. For every 4 face shields we’re able to produce thanks to your purchases, Shapways will contribute a 5th face shield.

Our community needs us, now more than ever. We’ll continue to help produce these alternative solutions using 3D technology. And as long as there’s a demand for these supplies from the medical teams, we’ll find a way to produce them, and to help keep our frontline heroes safe.

THANKS to the medical professionals for putting their lives at risk to help those who are sick.

THANKS to our factory staff, who are heading in to work every day to make this equipment.

THANKS to YOU for helping by contributing to this effort!

Sincerely,

Greg Kress
CEO, Shapeways

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