On September 28th, 2020, the East Cobb Branch went to lasercut N95 melt spray fabric for use in masks. Although N95 material can be cut with scissors, it is time consuming and results in imprecise sheets. Using a laser cutter, we can save material and create exact shapes that better fit into a mask. Since the shape used for this mask was different compared to those cut in previous weeks, we had to first start by designing the mask input. At first, we made a rectangle as it would fit into the mask but through a bit of testing, we realized that it would be better to add a triangle to the top of the rectangle. This allowed more N95 material to be in the mask and fit in better. Now that we had a good design, we started cutting. In order to hasten the process, we put a piece of cardboard under the fabric as it was being cut. This allowed us to remove the cut pieces more easily as without this board, the fan in the machine would pull the fabrics onto the cutter’s bed. It also allowed us to better align the fabric when we put in new fabric to cut as we would have the burn lines on the cardboard to use. In the end, we made over 100 filters along with the capability to make more filters should the demand arise.
Attendance: Maxwell Jiang(3 hrs)
Reported by Maxwell Jiang
