Out of the Woodwork

It all started with messages on social media and text messages to our phones. Friends, family members, and even clients were sending the same message about a 3D Surgical Support Specialist in Connecticut looking for anyone with a 3D printer, materials and/or skills in 3D software able to help. We didn’t hesitate to reach out and offer our time, resources and materials to help!

Rapid Iteration

Once receiving the file we had a successful test print in a short time and were able to officially join the team to begin a full-scale production. Within the first week, doctors, nurses, hospital staff and others were using the face shields produced and were able to give immediate feedback. Because of this tight feedback loop, 3 iterations were done before a final design was settled on. Previous designs were retrofit with the new design alterations so no time or materials were wasted. 100% of the frames were able to be used!

Reliable Equipment

Printing 15-20 hours per day for three weeks and counting – our Flashforge Creator Pro 3D printer has not encountered a single issue!

Excellent Materials

With prints taking sometimes 3+ hours, we needed to be able to rely on not just our printer, but the filament we were using. Understanding the important work we are doing, Push Plastic provided spools of PLA at a discounted rate.

Photogrammetry

In addition to printing face shield frames that were designed and drawn, we were also able to further contribute by “photo-scanning” other types of medical materials that were becoming scarce due to the pandemic for 3D printing and other forms of manufacturing. This technology has been used on other client projects and came in handy!