Innovative solutions

Cherriots is 3D printing face shields to protect staff

With the abundance of online recipes for how to make your own hand sanitizer and directions for making a mask at home, why not make your own face shield?

Cherriots did and is distributing them as quickly as one of its employees can create using a 3D printer.

“As we were trying to address some of the safety concerns, and specifically how the operators secure people in wheelchairs, the need for personal protective equipment was apparent,” said Michiel Spence-Majors, the District’s safety and loss control specialist. “The decision was made to employ the use of face shields as PPE, but we could not source them from one of our normal vendors.”

Majors said he turned to the internet and discovered an online community of 3D printer users who were creating items to help out with the COVID-19 pandemic. He found the design for a face shield at
https://www.thingiverse.com/groups/hackthepandemic.

“The clear face shields are actually clear overhead projector transparencies that I found in the workroom collecting dust,” he said. “I cut those with a paper cutter and then used a three hole punch to attach to the 3D printed headbands.”

The District had purchased the 3D printer a couple of years ago with employer at injury program (EAIP) fund through SAIF Corporation to provide work for an employee on modified duty status.

“We dabbled around a little with it and used it to make a couple things here and there but never used it to its full potential,” said Majors. “Until now.”