PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (April 8, 2020) – The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has shut in more than 90-percent of Americans, caused an economic downturn, and strained the global health care system. Given the rapid spread of the virus, there has been a global shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) used by medical professionals to help protect themselves from contamination. This shortage has put many first responders, doctors, and nurses at high risk of infection. Prairie View A&M University’s Stephen Song, director of the Fabrication Center (Fab Center) in the School of Architecture (SoA), saw a way that the university could make a difference.
A face shield created by a 3D printer.
To help alleviate some of the risks of fighting COVID-19, Song, Abel Simie, manager of the Fab Center, graduate students Reuben Cheeks and Edgar Ruiz, and undergraduate student Yessenia Davila, are leading an effort to make face shield masks using the Fab Center’s 3D printers. Face shields, worn in conjunction with other PPE, like N95 masks, can increase the lifespan of the protective equipment. The face shields will be donated to health care workers who are bravely fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I often tell myself to design in the form of problem-solving – and now, here was a problem, and I knew we had the tools and technical resources to make a difference. The experience with this project has taught me that design and fabrication within the realm of architecture can help the world,” said Cheeks.
The PVAMU group began their world-changing work this week.
Abel Simie, manager of the PVAMU Fabrication Center, models a face shield created using 3D printing.
“We currently have materials in our inventory to produce 400 face shields by the end of the week, but we ordered more materials from the manufacturer, and we hope to get it in a few days to produce many more,” said Song.
The 3D printer in the Fab Center builds the shields by using a three-dimensional object from a computer-aided design model and successively adds material layer by layer.
“We are using mainly acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polylactic acid (PLA) materials to print the 3D models,” said Song.
ABS materials have high tensile and impact strength along with stiffness, and PLA materials are one of the easiest and most affordable biodegradable polymers for medical devices. It’s the perfect combination to create the face shields.
PVAMU graduate student, Reuben Cheeks.
“We started making simulations of the face shields from computers remotely last week and tested the 3D printing earlier this week at the Fabrication Center,” said Song. “We have the capability of producing about 100 face shields per day. If more materials arrive on time, we can make 1,000 in two weeks.”
And Song says if the need continues, they will continue to make more.
“Dean Sabouni has provided her endless support on this project by providing materials and finding places for us to donate. I am so grateful for all of our staff and students who are involved in the project and their willingness to spend their time to assist our medical heroes,” said Song.
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By Marchita Shilo