Laser cut face shields

What are you doing?
I run a small laser cutting business in Newcastle and have the capability to produce face shields, part of the PPE that is in short supply during the current COVID-19 pandemic. 
They are relatively quick to make (much faster than 3d printed ones) and can be easily 'flat packed' for posting and storage and are easy to assemble. 


Who are these for?

I have so far delivered just over 100 of these to community pharmacists, a group of support workers (occupational therapists, physios etc) a local medical practice  and care homes . I have further requests from similar groups of non hospital based key workers. I am also in communications, with several local hospitals to see if they can be used there. 

Why do you need the money?

These are not expensive to produce, using around 80p of materials each. I can potentially produce hundreds of these, but do not have the funds required to bulk buy the necessary materials to support demand.

Are you making money from this?

No. The money raised will cover production costs (materials) and delivery (packaging, post and possibly petrol if there is high demand for delivering in person). I will be diverting my own time from my business to production of these without being reimbursed.

What if you're too successful?

If the amount received exceeds the amount that I can feasibly use to make and deliver visors, or if for some reason I am unable to continue making them (due to supplies not being available or other unforeseen reasons), any additional funds raised will be donated to the Community Foundation Coronavirus Response and Recovery Fund, a group that is supporting local charities and community organisations across Tyne & Wear and Northumberland, you can read more on them here: www.communityfoundation.org.uk/coronavirusfund/

Is this your design?

Not entirely, it's based on the version done by the folks over at https://www.kitronik.co.uk/blog/kitronik-make-nhs-frontline-ppe-visors/
with a few changes to make it possible to cut on my smaller laser and to speed up the process a little. 


So what are you using,  give me details!?

The headbands are made from laser cut 0.5mm polypropylene sheet, in a variety of colours, this can be quickly laser cut and is robust enough to be reusable many times over, it is also able to with stand typical sterilisation temperatures used in autoclaves and can be disinfected using non heat based methods. 

The clear visors are made from 240 micron PVC sheet, this is hand cut/prepared as it is not suitable for laser cutting, it is not able to withstand autoclave temperatures, but is robust enough to be disinfected using other methods. 

Thanks for reading and your support

Cam