Experimenting with Face Shields

Printed a few face shields/vizor frames on Prusa i3 MK3.

• Design source: 3Dprint.nih.gov
• Black PLA, 20% infill, 0.15 mm layer height, approximately 3.5 hours to print.
• The transparent material is a 8 mil thick transparency film (4 mil thick films - the kind used in printers - don't work well). 10-15 mil thick films will work better (perhaps clear Mylar or PVC sheets), but I haven't been able to procure any yet.
• The film can be easily removed/replaced as necessary. It hangs on the frame "hooks" using holes punched using a 3 hole punch.
• The material cost of each complete face shield is less than 1 USD.

These face shields are not sterile (nothing printed at home can be), but perhaps will find some use in a casual setting where face-to-face interaction between people is necessary and there is absolutely nothing else to use as a barrier (grocery stores staff, delivery service people, curbside pickup staff, day care staff, etc.).

The intent in sharing the results of these trials is to convey that something like this can be easily done at home with minimal costs.

How you can help

If you are looking for ways to contribute by making or designing things people can use in the current environment, I have included some resources and pointers in the comments.

Talk to your local authorities, grocery stores, day cares, delivery people and see if they are in a need of a quick-fix solution. Not everyone needs a large coordinated effort in massive volumes; sometimes local, small, targeted efforts can be very effective.

If you are in the Houston area and would like to team up to build something, give me a holler and let's see if we can work together!