Our Might 2020 Hacker of the Month article wanted to embody a complete neighborhood of Makers who 3D printed PPE for healthcare staff in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This month, as an alternative of specializing in a person for our Hacker of the Month, we needed to take time to highlight the efforts of your entire 3D Printing Group for coming collectively to assist deal with the PPE scarcity by 3D printing face shields and masks extenders for healthcare staff round the USA. The response from the neighborhood has been nothing wanting miraculous; due to their efforts, hundreds of nurses, medical doctors, respiratory therapists, and extra healthcare professionals in nearly each state have been given very important private protecting tools (PPE) to permit them to proceed their struggle in opposition to COVID-19.
Hundreds of individuals across the nation answered the decision to print in small batches and ship 3D printed face defend visors and masks extenders to MatterHackers as a part of our Maker Response Hub effort. With the amount of mixed contributions from these unbelievable Makers, we had been capable of distribute tens of hundreds of 3D printed PPE gadgets to healthcare organizations from California to New York, from Alaska to Florida. Face shields and masks extenders had been despatched far and large to assist maintain our superb healthcare staff secure, to allow them to proceed the struggle in opposition to COVID-19.
From massive hospital organizations, just like the Mayo Clinic to Kids’s Hospital in Phoenix, to hospice care personnel and ambulance suppliers, in addition to dentists and eye care staff, we had been capable of distribute over 75,000 items of kit. Working with so many alternative Makers was a tremendous expertise, and due to their arduous work and dedication, many healthcare staff had been capable of full their duties protected with NIH reviewed, 3D printed PPE.
The 3D printed gadgets that had been distributed had been reviewed by the Nationwide Institutes of Well being for scientific use. As of this text, there have been eleven permitted face defend designs, three masks extender designs, and one surgical masks design reviewed for 3D printing.
Practically 5000 volunteers signed as much as assist 3D print for these efforts, and we want we might ship a private Thank You to each one. We obtained 3D printed components from massive and small companies who pivoted their regular manufacturing to make shields, together with Gantri, Purple Hobbies, BIG Structure, and plenty of extra. We have been impressed by college students and educators like Invoice White (Avonworth Center Faculty), Thomas More durable (Lengthy Seaside Unified), and Chapman College. And none of this might have been doable with out the partnership of different organizations of makers throughout the nation who teamed up with us to make a distinction of their native communities, like NYCMakesPPE, Open Works, 3DPPGH, and Phoenixville COVID19 Makers Group to call only some.  With out their assist, the state of affairs that healthcare staff confronted, and proceed to face, could have been a lot worse – thanks!
