3D printing – “Help the NHS – Can You 3D Print Face Shields?”
When we received this 3D printing challenge from our Solidworks CAD software supplier, Solidsolutions, it wasn’t immediately obvious that we would be able to help. We have a Markforged 3D printer and the suggested design was based on using a Prusa printer and materials we don’t have access to. However, that didn’t stop our talented engineers Dave and Bryn from using their ingenuity to figure out how to adapt the Prusa design to suit our machine and the materials we have available. Initial prints using Onyx gave promising results so we decided to take the plunge and purchase a roll of Nylon, which has a smoother surface finish. The current rate of production is a somewhat pedestrian 4 per day, which is the maximum we can achieve with our machine and part design but hopefully our small contribution will make a difference. The first batch of 19 sets of headbands and lower visor supports are being delivered to Solidsolutions in Warwick today, who will assemble the parts to the visor and elastic headstrap, clean and distribute them.
Update – June 2020
Now that injection moulding tools have come online, the need for the face shields to be 3D Printed has reduced so we have been stood down.
Solidprint3duk, who organised the effort have shared this video: