3D Printed Masks For Health Care Workers

     Hospitals all over the world are running out of vital equipment for keeping medical staff safe while caring for Covid-19 patients. My self Veronica & boyfriend Samir, are a couple that own Six Motorcycle/Car Custom and Electronics LLC a small business in Connecticut. We are trying to do our part using our 3D printers. As we self-quarantine, we felt like we needed to do something to help those on the front-line who are risking their own health and safety.  We are donating these masks at no cost to the medical centers throughout the state in an effort to help fill the PPE gap that currently exists within our healthcare system.

     This Go-Fund Me is for materials and supplies to continue producing these face masks and develop shields for our healthcare workers out on the front lines of this pandemic. We have 11 FDM 3D printers and 1 SLA resin 3D printer (if we raise enough money for materials we will look in to purchasing a few more 3D printers) but we need Filament - Filters - Elastic (elastic is hard to find in our area or online right now) - Foam - & PETG sheets  to continue production. The face masks are reusable and have two locations for a disposable filter that can be replaced after each patient/day (as seen in photos). The reusable masks come in Small, Medium & Large. They are durable, adjustable, and comfortable. We have already donated our first batch of masks to our local Dr.Office and have been in contact with staff at several Medical Centers. We are also receiving an overwhelming amount of requests from contacts at other hospitals throughout Connecticut & Rhode Island. Our 3D printers are continuously printing reusable face masks over the next few weeks/months and will distribute at an ongoing basis until needs are met by Medical staff. 

Materials :
We are using two layers of filters, The first layer is a MERV 12 (general dust and pollen) screen layer that is backed by a MERV 13 layer that should filter out bacteria and viral particles. As of March 22, Amazon continues to deliver these filters with approximately a one week delay. The particular filter we are using is: HEALTH 16x25x1 MERV 13 Pleated Air Filter 

To secure the mask in place, we are using 1/2" elastic banding and 3D printed adjustable clasps. 

To seal the edges & comfort we are using 3/8 in rubber foam strip.

For filament, we are using standard PLA we have on hand. Obviously color is not a major consideration for a functional print like this. These are not able to be sanitized using an autoclave. Sanitizing solutions using either bleach or high proof alcohol should be used to sanitize the plastic shell components.

     In addition to donating masks we are currently developing a face shield we can produce and donate, the majority of hospital staff dealing with patients are now required to wear a shield as an added layer of security for the high-risk patients coming in. Our goal is to constantly work towards improving every step of the way! We would like to keep this production moving forward, in order to help as many health care workers as we can realistically. We need your help in raising funds to order more supplies.  As of now, we have donated 32 masks, and would like to have your support in the continuation of this project. I know many of you would like to help out during this troubling time, not knowing what to do or how to help, nor having the necessary tools to facilitate this type of assistance. Your generous donations will fund this project. In turn, allowing our many health care workers desperately in need of these basic supplies to take care of all of us.