Open Works
Acrylic Face Shield Release RV.1
Hey folks! Thank you SO MUCH for joining up with Maker’s Unite, a collaborative emergency response effort to manufacture face shields we launched 3 weeks ago in partnership with Innovation Works and We the Builders. People from all over Maryland are 3D printing parts at home and we are cleaning, assembling, packaging, and distributing them through an order portal here. We are making these available at cost. If you’d like, you can donate here, or sign up to print at home here.
So far, the effort is going great!! We have recieved 4,667 face shield frames from the build community at home — and we haven’t even counted the weekend haul yet! We have built 5,650 face shields, and every single one has been ordered so far. Our one-day production record is 845 shields. Our production average over the first 13 shifts is 505 shileds/day. We have been able to re-hire 5 part-time workers to help with assembly.
However, the demand is so high, we prototyped a new design based on the Prusa RC2 release that can be cut on our CNC router from acrylic. This allows us to generate about 130 parts in 90 minutes and our production capacity to exceed the donation base.
As a starting point, we used the Prusa RC2 dimensions; after 4 iterations, we arrived at a Prusa-compatible design (same visor peg spacing, visor, and bottom reinforcement) that eliminates the most time-consuming part in the build. The deep relieft cuts on the side provide plenty of flex for comfort, but it still requires the addition of a cushioning strip to keep the acrylic edge from biting into the forehead. The final design is the exact same weight as the Prusa RC2 release, and keeps the forehead area mostly closed to prevent splatter of droplets when leaning over.
Want to make your own? Download here. The zip folder contains:
- Build instructions
- .dxf of acrylic frame piece
- .dxf of face visor
- .stl of bottom reinforcement
- spec sheet
The files are easily adaptable to laser-cutting if that is all you have available. While these shields carry no “official” approvals, this class of product is not FDA regulated and does not need the same approvals that a face mask might. We carried out two rounds of user testing with doctors and nurses at one of the hopsitals in the University of Maryland medical system to ensure that comfort and protection dynamics met their needs.
Happy building!
And, don’t forget — while we’re making face shields around the clock, we’re pleased to bring you “Making in Place”, at-home DIY video tutorials from our education team!. Multiple times a week, our education staff will bring you at home DIY ideas for tiny and grown makers, both live on social media and archived on YouTube for later reference!
Check out our YouTube Channel, Facebook Live, and Instagram streaming for a variet of #makinginplace content.
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