UPenn Grads Mass-Produce 3D Printed Face Shields for First Responders

Project SHIELDS was created by four entrepreneurs looking to use their skills to help those on the front line of the Covid-19 pandemic. Michael Wong, Tiffany Yau, Evan Weinstein, and John Gamba are all individuals who have taken a step back from their main projects to start one in dire need.

 

The Team & How They Started

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We made a shield delivery at the same time as the Blue Angels flyover! ✈️🤩#WeCanDoIt

A post shared by Project SHIELDS (@projectshields) on May 4, 2020 at 2:13pm PDT

Michael and Evan already had their own 3D printing companies Instahub and Cocoa Press so the idea of 3D printing face shields came naturally for them. When Michael mentioned this project to Evan, he quickly offered up his supplies of filament. They used the inventory they both had from their businesses to fulfill the first batches of shields. 

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Here’s a 1 week live update! We didn’t just raise $25K—we raised $3️⃣5️⃣,0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ 🤩💥🚀 But that is STILL not enough. We are raising the bar to $1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣,0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣! We can all do more. Help us protect even more people with our face shields at our GoFundMe 👉 SEE LINK IN BIO! Let’s raise those💸

A post shared by Project SHIELDS (@projectshields) on Apr 5, 2020 at 7:57am PDT

John put on his entrepreneur resident hat and looked at the project from a business standpoint. 

What is the problem? 

What are the solutions? 

How do we measure impact? 

They did market research and quickly learned that the demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) was in the millions.

Tiffany stepped in with her marketing skills creating a GoFundMe that raised $41,000 in 10 days. That’s 41,000 shields! Their initial goal of $25,000 has now been raised to $100,000 because of the growing demand for proper PPE for front line workers.

 

Safe. Simple. Practical.

The shields that are being printed have gone through tests with clinicians to make sure they are comfortable and meets the needs of the users. These three principles that guide the work of the team:

• Safe: The designs are approved by the National Institute of Health (NIH) and have been field-tested.
• Simple: The shields are made of two parts that can be assembled in 20 seconds or less by simply pressing the two pieces together.
• Practical: Shields are disposable, reusable, and easy to clean. Reuse standards vary based on the practices of each individual and their workplace. The design is simple enough that when reuse is possible, the two parts can be quickly detached for simple cleaning. 

 

Growth & Expansion

On a daily bases, Project SHIELDS was able to make anywhere from 200 to 400 shields depending on supplies. They have provided shields not only to the Philadelphia area but also to New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts. 

Currently, shields are provided to those in hospitals but the team is looking into providing shields to essential personnel in all fields. Anywhere from non-profit organizations helping in the community to grocery store staff and transportation workers.

In addition to 3D printing, the rate of demand has risen so quickly that a secondary method of creating the shields has been incorporated. Starting Monday, April 13th, the first batch of injection molder shields became available. Now, between 3D printing and injection molding, Project Shields is able to create 3,500 shields a day. As of May 2nd, 25,000 has been delivered to those who need them.

 

Ways To Help

Those who are physically able to volunteer can sign up to come to the Pennovation Center in Philadelphia to help assemble shields and 3D printers, package shields for delivery, writing ‘Thank You’ notes, quality assurance, manage inventory, whatever the needs are at the time.

For those who cannot physically come in but has time to assist remotely, there are many opportunity areas since Project SHIELDS is still in its early stages: marketing, video production, content creation, social media, and more.

Already 3D printing cool things at home? Sign up to help print shields from wherever you are.

If you want to donate to the cost of making the shields. Head over to the GoFundMe page. Every bit is tax-deductible! If you are working at a corporation that has a donation matching program, you can get in contact with Tiffany to figure out the details.

And of course there is spreading the word about the project by sharing and following Project SHIELDS on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn).