Reported by Samuel Li
In late spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic still rages on, with more and more confirmed cases everyday. As more and more people are seeking treatment in hospitals, nurses and doctors on the front lines are put at a greater risk of being infected as well as running out of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Earlier, AYLUS San Diego has hosted fundraisers and donations of medical face masks. However, due to the difficulty in purchasing large amounts of medical face masks, AYLUS San Diego decided to take another route to help essential workers. They organized an 3D printing face shield group, welcoming anyone interested to join.
Three high school AYLUS San Diego volunteers rose up to the challenge. Using their interest and experience in 3D printing technology, these high schoolers designed and printed protective face shields which were donated to those in need. Each of these volunteers included their own spin on the 3D printing process to maximize efficiency or to help our community in other ways.
One of the students involved in the donation of 3D printed face shields is Victor Ku. As the president and founder of the 3D printing club at Westview High School, Victor used his vast experience from previously hosting 3D printing workshops at local schools and libraries to print PPE for people in need. After advertising on his social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, Victor receives email from nurses and doctors requesting a certain amount of face shields and a delivery date. As of late May 2020, Victor has printed over 200 face shields and have donated them to local essential workers.
In addition, Victor also 3D prints bias tape holders, which are devices that greatly expedites the process it takes for sewers to hand make face masks. As of late May 2020, Victor has been able to donate bias tape holders to all who has shown interest.
Another student who participated in the 3D printing effort was Nathan Yang, a student from Canyon Crest Academy. Although relatively new to the 3D printing scene, Nathan was able to quickly overcome presented problems and printed 90 face shields in his first batch before running out of filament. After contacting local hospitals, Nathan was able to quickly reach a hospital in need of PPE, who were more than happy to pick up his printed shields. After the first batch, Nathan decided to modify the design. The modification to the printing template for the protective face shields allowed for the printer to print four face shields at one, and the face shields used a smaller and more hollow design. This greatly increased the efficiency of the printing process and in the end allowed for Nathan to deliver over 170 protective face shields to local hospitals.
Finally, Eric Li, a student at The Bishop’s School, was another high schooler who joined in on the 3D printing effort. Like Nathan, Eric was relatively newer to 3D printing but was able to quickly adapt. In order to maximize both the efficiency and the quality of the face shields that he printed, Eric adjusted and modified the 3D printer’s parameters and worked on the frames after the face shields were printed in order to remove any bumps. In addition, in order to cut down on costs, Eric built a contraption involving a power drill and a rolling pin so that his printer is able to use a more cost-effective, normally incompatible spools of filament to print the masks. As of late May 2020, Eric has donated a total of 200 3D printed face shields to local hospitals, with many more scheduled to be donated.
The effort and creativity expressed by these high school AYLUS San Diego volunteers have undoubted helped protect our community’s essential workers. By showcasing their work, many more may feel inspired to take action and help those in need.
Throughout May 2020, three AYLUS San Diego high school volunteers printed protective face shields for those in need.
