Melbourne Makerspace had a request for the Prusa RS2 design face shields. We had a 2 day window to get them ready, so they could hitch a ride with someone headed to the facility.
Great teamwork from everyone involved. And managed to do it with no more than 2 people together at at time, due to good communication by all. 3D printing from Luis, Arlo and Arlo’s friend Josh, acrylic donated by Henry, plastic formed by Henry, sterilization suggestions by John, additional suggestions from Joshua, and blog post put together by Brooks. (If I forgot you, please let me know! -Brooks)
We got 12 masks made, received by:
- A group home for women w Down’s Syndrome in Homestead (the clients don’t easily tolerate wearing masks, so these shields will be a big help to the staff caring for them!).
- A (mother of 3) RN working in a SC hospital with several Covid 19 patients on her floor
- Another mom/RN working in a rehab Center in Ft Collins, CO
- An immune compromised RN working at a Hospice Center in Treasure Coast area of FL.
Several others requested masks and we are attempting to get materials to make more.
Process
To make the headbands, first we considered the sterilization constraints. Then we started making the headbands, then we formed the clear plastic for the face shields.
Sterilization constraints
Best practices:
- parts should only be handled by people wearing N95 masks and gloves
- put directly into brand new ziplock bags to avoid possible contamination
- The acrylic sheets should have both protective surfaces left on for delivery to the hospital.
- The 3D printed parts are presumably sterile from the printing temperature.
Minimuim practices:
- wipe parts with 70% alcohol before placing in new plastic bag and sealing bag.
Building the headbands
Luis started printing the visor head shield part. He printed the RC2 model and the dimensions came out to 191mmx144mm. Layer hight .2, Speed 54. Print time 4 hours.
Arlo coordinated with his friend Josh to print additional headbands.
Clear Face Shields
Henry offered to donate thin acrylic for the face shields. Michael stepped up to cut and form the acrylic.
First we tried .093” (2.35mm). This turned out too thick for the masks, Prusa was using 0.5mm plastic. Henry tried next, 11″x14″x0.05″ acrylic sheets. This was a little thick but worked, Michael was able to lasercut those with the holes needed, and bend them.
Arlo and Luis met to assemble face shields.
Face shields from right side 
Face shields being assembled
Luis and his wife then got the shields so they could deliver them to the people who need them. They got some good photos showing how the masks look when worn.
Green face shield Prusa RS2 
Red face shield Prusa RS2
When word got out about the face masks, we had requests from more people locally. Will proceed as soon as parts arrive. The biggest obstruction is availability of the clear plastic.
Next Steps
Thin acrylic is hard to source right now. Dr Austin Downey of USC said that they are using overhead projector film for the face mask part. That is something to consider.
Michael would like to try making a silicone mold and casting the headband from epoxy resin.
Luis would like to try vacuum forming the PET over a head shape.
Arlo is prototyping a lasercut version of the headband made of cardboard, cheaper and faster.
updated April 5, 2020: Number of masks produced was 12, not 7.