First usable prototype March 30

First complete usable prototype of the Prusa face shield. Materials on hand were not ideal: PLA filament, 0.030" PC visor, but it was successful. This prototype was later moved to CHC for evaluation and testing there.

First complete prototype March 30, 2020

Now the challenge is to procure proper materials: medical grade PETG filament and visor material, and latex-free head strap. All of these are rapidly becoming very difficult to obtain.

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Some 3D Printer Stats

My workhorse Prusa i3Mk2 has needed some repairs and small upgrades but it is still soldiering on. I've learned to do scheduled maintenance at least every Sunday. Here are some stats about its use during the Pandemic. Keep in mind this is just one of the half-dozen printers in use on this project by the printing team . All together we have gone through several 10 lb Filamatrix spools and at least that many 1 kg spools of Matterhackers. Early on, getting any PETG filament was a challenge with lead times of 4+ weeks. The Prusa reports 3.6 km of 1.75 mm PETG filament used . When it gets pushed out the 0.4 mm dia nozzzle, that's equal to 69 km of actual printed filament . That's 75,000 yards . About 750 football field-lengths of filament! PETG has a density of about 1.27 gm/cc. A 1 kg spool holds about 327 meters of 1.75 mm filament. A 10 lb spool holds 1490 meters of 1.75 mm dia filament. We've been purchasing 10 lb spools of clear PETG from Filamatrix due to their COVI

Reusable face shields shipping to Native American medical facilities

Face shields specifically intended for medical providers are shipping to Native American medical facilities in the Four Corners area where there is a major Covid-19 outbreak. These are sturdy, cleanable, and re-usable. Shipments started April 10, 2020. These are being provided at zero cost. The situation on tribal lands is not good - just the Navajo Nation has 300,000 members and has a per capita infection rate 10 times higher than Arizona and the third-highest infection rate in the country behind New York and New Jersey, according to news reports. See this Deseret News article from Apr 20, 2020 . We are shipping to ten medical facilities, here not in order of size: Hopi Health Care Center Kayenta Health Center Utah Navajo Health System Chinle Comprehensive Health Care Facility Tuba City Regional Health Care Center Tsehootsooi Medical Center Northern Navajo Medical Center Gallup Indian Medical Center Crownpoint Healthcare Facility Zuni Comprehensive Health Center

Feedback from Shiprock Providers

Feedback from Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock, NM: "This is a great face shield. It allows for coverage of the entire neck, wraps around face, and provides protection from overhead splatter."

COVID-19 Face Shield for HCP

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