folded medical facial shield, no 3d print required by dsysko

Last crawled date: 4 years, 1 month ago

There are so many new options out there to meet the facial shield need of medical care-givers in reaction to the limited availability of these devices. This is especially true right now during the rapid rise in COVID-19 / Corona virus spread. We are so fortunate that so many are motivated to donate their time and resources to this life-saving effort. Thank you all!
Unfortunately, many areas don't have a lot of 3D printing or laser cutting resources, and even when they do, the prints can be complicated, time-consuming to make, or require multiple materials to finish the facial shields.
This project is intended to be usable for the greatest range of communities, with the most modest of resources, while requiring the least amount of technical skill or equipment. This face shield uses a single standard office-paper sized transparent plastic sheet, the kind typically used for overhead projectors or for report covers. I've included A4 and US-letter versions. It also requires either a laser or inkjet printer.
I don't intend for this to replace any of the high quality options that are out there, both from the maker community as well as commercial outfits. Instead, this is really aimed at the outposts or those truly hit hard with a serious outbreak. Basically, anywhere that the need urgently outstrips the availability of all other options.
The design is inspired by origami. There are only two folds here, mountain and valley. For more info, check this link:http://www.origami-instructions.com/origami-valley-and-mountain-folds.html
Instructions:
If you DO have a 3d printer:
Print the front and back STL files of the jig. it is for US-Letter size, NOT yet ready for A4. I'll update ASAP.
Place the plastic sheet between the front and back parts of the jig. the points on the back part of the jig should line up with the holes on the front side of the jig. Make sure the plastic sheet is aligned straight and all the way into the corners of the jig.
Use a ball-point pen to firmly crease the plastic sheet on both sides against the curves provided.
Cut or punch out the holes at the locations where dimples have been made on the sides of the shield.
Using the creases you made earlier, make the creases much more sharply defined with your fingers. Don't forget that one must be a mountain fold, and the other must be a valley fold.
If you DO NOT have a 3d printer, but DO have a laser printer and can print directly to your plastic sheets:
Print the PDF file for your plastic size directly onto the plastic sheet
Place the plastic sheet on a wooden or soft plastic surface
Using a wheel-style pizza cutter, a very dull knife, or a strong pen: trace firmly over the fold lines indicated, the valley fold on the front side of the plastic.
Flip the plastic over and firmly trace the mountain fold on the reverse side of the plastic
Cut or punch out the holes at the locations indicated on the sides of the shield.
Using the creases you made earlier, make the creases much more sharply defined with your fingers. Don't forget that one must be a mountain fold, and the other must be a valley fold.
If you DO NOT have a 3d printer, but DO have an inkjet printer and can NOT print directly to your plastic sheets:
Print the PDF file for your plastic size directly onto a piece of paper the same size as your plastic sheets
Place the plastic sheet on a wooden or soft plastic surface, on top of the printed guide. Try to keep the corners of the guide and the plastic sheet aligned as much as you can.
Using a wheel-style pizza cutter, a very dull knife, or a strong pen: trace firmly over the fold lines indicated, the valley fold on the front side of the plastic.
Flip the plastic over but keep the guide in place and firmly trace the mountain fold on the reverse side of the plastic
Cut or punch out the holes at the locations indicated on the sides of the shield.
Using the creases you made earlier, make the creases much more sharply defined with your fingers. Don't forget that one must be a mountain fold, and the other must be a valley fold.
Now that your shield is folded, insert rubber bands, string, or yarn through the holes and make a strap or cord that should fit around the head above the ears. Adjust this strap so that the shield stays in place but doesn't cause too much pressure.
Take a look at the images to see how it fits. Some of the pictures are made with paper so that you can see how it fits more easily. The transparent sheet is a bit hard to see with my camera.
If you want to make a modification of the jig for yourself, it is on Onshape here:https://cad.onshape.com/documents/12d110feb107370d673a9583/w/92846e0cb4d7b9a24707e92b/e/35c0bab7e83ee05a4f8d79a3
I truly hope this helps you, your communities, and any fellow humans to overcome a potential obstacle in our journey through challenging times. Please share and pass this on to any who need it or are interested.
Met vriendelijk groet,
Dustin