How We Made our Masks to Help the Community

Jared Wittekind, Makerspace Coordinator

HOW WE MAKE OUR MASKS
The process of producing face shields and surgical masks require the use of our Makerspace fiber art, laser cutting, and 3D printing areas.  Over the course of a few weeks, we worked with Marietta Memorial Hospital to field test our face shields and amend the design as necessary as well as explore using scraps of PETG sheet to laser cut ear savers for surgical masks.  The Ross Foundation provided raw materials for our face shield production, which included sheets of PETG plastic and filament for our 3D Printers.  We came to realize fairly quickly that 3D printing would not be able to meet the demand for PPE shortages on a large scale and that there is a shortage of clear sheet plastics that can be laser cut to produce masks.

We began exploring options of how to mass produce face shields through machine cutting and injection molding. For this step we teamed up with Magnum Magnetics to design an injection mold, Micro Machine Works to produce the mold, Ohio University Engineering Department to analyze the mold flow, and Mondo Polymers to manufacture the face shield parts and help locate supplies. Fortunately, a few weeks into this project, Ohio’s Governor Mike DeWine announced that a large shipment of PPE would be distributed to counties across Ohio based on need and replaced the need to move forward with mass production.

By this time, Makerspace had been able to alter design and production methods enough to be an adequate supplement for state level efforts. Specifically, we began to distribute PPE to local organizations that might have otherwise been overlooked. By this time, requests for cloth masks had stalled completely.

As the list of smaller organizations in need of PPE shortened, Marietta Memorial Hospital stated their official preference of face shield was a completely laser cut design which we could manufacture quickly to meet their demands. As a result, we shifted away from 3D printed designs and focused our efforts on producing laser cut face shields. We were able to produce about 100 shields a day at this rate.

We also began serving as a local hub for local makers to drop off face shields and masks as well as provide guidance to ensure what they were producing could be used.
 
WHERE OUR MASKS ARE BEING USED

• Eglin Air Force Base

• Heartland of Marietta

• Marietta Memorial Hospital

• Newport Community Food Pantry

• Noble County Prison

• Quality Care Associates

• Reno Volunteer Fire Department

• Stephen Huffman, DDS

• Thermo Fisher

• Washington County Career Center

• Washington County Children Services Board

• Washington County Department of Job and Family Services

• Washington County Home

• Washington County Jail

• Washington County Public Library