Face Shield - A COVID-19 Initiative

SITUATION

Hello everyone, my name is Aditya Arjun Anibha and I am an 11 th Grade student from Genesis Global School, Noida. As you all know, the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting lockdowns have radically changed our lives. The threat is still growing and hence, as you must know, it is important for everyone to exercise social distancing and self-isolation to ensure we can recover fast and reduce the burden on hospitals and doctors who have to work without breaks for continuous hours, carrying the weight of an entire nation on their shoulders. Till such a time when a cure or a vaccine is developed, precaution is the best way forward. Maintaining hygiene, washing hands, using masks, gloves, sanitisers etc are most essential. However, we can go one step further and provide equipment to doctors and other service workers like security guards who are facing shortages and have to work in infection hazard environments on a regular basis with insufficient protection against coronavirus. In this regard, my colleague, Amar Mohindra, and I took the initiative of Janata Shield and decided to make these face shields which reduce the risk of infection, and it logically follows that the more individuals we save from infection, the faster we can counter this pandemic, saving people’s lives, and ensuring we can go back to our own normal ones.


DESIGN

The design used to make these face shields are NIH approved in Europe, Sweden and the United States where a lot of people who have the facility to, manufacture them in substantial quantities. This DIY movement is working there, and so applying this tried and tested face shield in India is crucial. Every Faceshield consists of a 3D printed headband, which takes about an hour to create, and a plastic sheet (PETG, PET or OHP etc) which takes about 10 minutes to assemble with the headband.


ADVANTAGES

The 3D printed headband acts as a rigid but slightly elastic reusable frame to hold the plastic sheets that act as a barrier against the coronavirus when airborne due to sneezing or coughing of infected persons. Besides this, it also protects the eyes and ears, something which normal air masks do not do. Furthermore, this adds a physical guard to prevent the subconscious face-touching we do on a regular basis. The face shields are lightweight, making sure wearers do not have headaches or other pain by wearing it. Also, the plastic sheet barrier is replaceable with a new one in cases of damage or exposure to infection. Alternatively, it can also be sanitised and washed with plain soap and water.

PROGRESS

Since the beginning of April, I have been using my personal 3D printer to create PLA headbands, which can be assembled with any transparent plastic sheet to create a cheap and easy to manufacture Face Shield. As of this video, I have produced and am in the process of distributing over 100 face shields for security guards and service staff. I am also supplying face shields to the initiative Janata Shield.



CHALLENGES

A major challenge I faced was the manufacturing speed. Initially, I started off with a design that took above 2 hours to print. This restricted production to a maximum of 12 per day. To counter this, I researched over several days to optimize the printing process using Cura, a slicer software for 3D printers. After many iterations, I was able to knock down the time from 2 hours down to about 20-30 minutes per headband - allowing for a theoretical maximum of 72 headbands per day. Of course, a more practical number would be around 40-50, which is a substantial speed improvement from the starting point. However, there is a shortage of plastic sheets, as they are difficult to source due to the ongoing lockdown.

I appeal to other individuals who can use their resources to create this equipment and take on the role of producers. 3D printing is not the only method - Laser cutting or cardboard cutouts are two other examples, and any other innovative means which can be used for this application are encouraged. Hence, it is imperative to spread awareness of this project to those who can help like the media and manufacturers or those who need help, like doctors and security guards and other staff who are on the frontlines for our, and the nation’s, survival.

Manufacture & Distribution

SITUATION

Hello everyone, my name is Aditya Arjun Anibha and I am an 11 th Grade student from Genesis Global School, Noida. As you all know, the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting lockdowns have radically changed our lives. The threat is still growing and hence, as you must know, it is important for everyone to exercise social distancing and self-isolation to ensure we can recover fast and reduce the burden on hospitals and doctors who have to work without breaks for continuous hours, carrying the weight of an entire nation on their shoulders. Till such a time when a cure or a vaccine is developed, precaution is the best way forward. Maintaining hygiene, washing hands, using masks, gloves, sanitisers etc are most essential. However, we can go one step further and provide equipment to doctors and other service workers like security guards who are facing shortages and have to work in infection hazard environments on a regular basis with insufficient protection against coronavirus. In this regard, my colleague, Amar Mohindra, and I took the initiative of Janata Shield and decided to make these face shields which reduce the risk of infection, and it logically follows that the more individuals we save from infection, the faster we can counter this pandemic, saving people’s lives, and ensuring we can go back to our own normal ones.


DESIGN

The design used to make these face shields are NIH approved in Europe, Sweden and the United States where a lot of people who have the facility to, manufacture them in substantial quantities. This DIY movement is working there, and so applying this tried and tested face shield in India is crucial. Every Faceshield consists of a 3D printed headband, which takes about an hour to create, and a plastic sheet (PETG, PET or OHP etc) which takes about 10 minutes to assemble with the headband.


ADVANTAGES

The 3D printed headband acts as a rigid but slightly elastic reusable frame to hold the plastic sheets that act as a barrier against the coronavirus when airborne due to sneezing or coughing of infected persons. Besides this, it also protects the eyes and ears, something which normal air masks do not do. Furthermore, this adds a physical guard to prevent the subconscious face-touching we do on a regular basis. The face shields are lightweight, making sure wearers do not have headaches or other pain by wearing it. Also, the plastic sheet barrier is replaceable with a new one in cases of damage or exposure to infection. Alternatively, it can also be sanitised and washed with plain soap and water.

PROGRESS

Since the beginning of April, I have been using my personal 3D printer to create PLA headbands, which can be assembled with any transparent plastic sheet to create a cheap and easy to manufacture Face Shield. As of this video, I have produced and am in the process of distributing over 100 face shields for security guards and service staff. I am also supplying face shields to the initiative Janata Shield.



CHALLENGES

A major challenge I faced was the manufacturing speed. Initially, I started off with a design that took above 2 hours to print. This restricted production to a maximum of 12 per day. To counter this, I researched over several days to optimize the printing process using Cura, a slicer software for 3D printers. After many iterations, I was able to knock down the time from 2 hours down to about 20-30 minutes per headband - allowing for a theoretical maximum of 72 headbands per day. Of course, a more practical number would be around 40-50, which is a substantial speed improvement from the starting point. However, there is a shortage of plastic sheets, as they are difficult to source due to the ongoing lockdown.

I appeal to other individuals who can use their resources to create this equipment and take on the role of producers. 3D printing is not the only method - Laser cutting or cardboard cutouts are two other examples, and any other innovative means which can be used for this application are encouraged. Hence, it is imperative to spread awareness of this project to those who can help like the media and manufacturers or those who need help, like doctors and security guards and other staff who are on the frontlines for our, and the nation’s, survival.