Hey community. Healthcare workers are running out of face masks and shields. They are making them out of whatever they can get a hold of. Can we come up with a design and pattern and the right materials and start providing them to the health workers who need them? Please let’s make this happen.
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I would totally be down for doing this. I would love to give back to those hard working people fighting on the front lines.
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A laser might not be the best tool for the job. Here are some resources for DIY masks.
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A 3d printer and large soda bottles especially the 3-liter ones could make face masks,
This too is a possibility with some of the plastic from the soda bottles…
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Actually, government has just authorized the use of industrial style N95 masks for healthcare workers. (Same kind of mask, fewer legal restrictions for liability purposes now.)
There are plenty of those available, and 3M has kicked into full production. Good idea to make a couple for yourself if you are worried though, they’re trying to reserve those for healthcare workers now. 
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Prusa just released a 3D printable frame for face shields and are using their laser to cut the transparent inserts. I didn’t see what they were using for the transparent inserts in the article.
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Can you link to it?
Surgical N95 masks are identical to industrial masks, except the surgical masks don’t have an exhaust valve. The valve allows less restriction so the mask does not heat up as badly, however it does allow droplets to escape in the exhausted breath.
So basically, the health worker is well protected while wearing the mask (to the 95% rating of the mask that is) but if the worker is infected, the mask offers no protection to others.
And for the love of God people, don’t make your own. Coronavirus is safer than breathing in the microscopic particles generated by cutting fibrous materials, you don’t want that in your lungs.
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These look great!! I recommend them to our hospital when they run low on ordinary ones!!
I would think that transparent soda bottles (2 or 3 liter) would do the job.
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Front plate material - we used 0.5 mm thick petg sheet (Covestro VIVAK), but you should be able to use any clear laser cuttable plastic with similar thickness.
It’s not apparent from their name, but they are based in Prague… 
These are not available everywhere. We’ve been unable to get masks of any kind for a while now. We usually have the N95’s because it’s what’s used for TB patients. But, with the onslaught of Corona, even those are gone and unavailable.
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I believe they are going directly to hospitals and healthcare workers.
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That would be me…
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For that level of need scissor-cuttable will do,
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What do you do?
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Registered nurse in Home Health
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Glad to know. (I collect this kind of info.)
Have you had any changes yet in how you are dealing with your patients?
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Yeah, we are taking a lot more precautions, and doing more telehealth.
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