Disclaimer: This information is not provided with any indication that the process is good or better than others. It is a documentation of the process that we established as we scrambled to put a larger group of people to work together during this emergency.
Here you will find our documentation should you wish to produce medical face shields at your institution, including 3D files and all necessary documentation. You may download, re-use and modify all documents on this page. The designs (1 listed below, more on the way) provided in this guide have been evaluated by Penn engineers and tested by Penn Medicine providers. You may adapt this process to print other designs, however you will need to evaluate and test these designs from scratch.
Process components:
-
Fabrication: Frames (3D-printed), plastic shield (manually / laser-cut)
- Supply chain:
- supply: raw materials, tools and equipment
- transportation: of raw materials, tools and equipment between volunteers, and delivery of finished parts to hospitals
- quality control and packaging
Fabrication - Design 1
- 3D-printed frame + plastic sheet
- Simple design, easy/fast crowdsourced production
-
3D modelmodified version of the 3DVerkstan design with a wider brim
-
Print process & optimizationhow to cut-down printing time using CURA
-
Mid-weight clear sheetsdo NOT require lamination
-
Shield fabrication processInstructions for manually laminating and hole-punching of plastic sheets
Fabrication - Design 2
- faster construction than 3D printed designs
- contains no foam or elastics and can easily be disinfected and reused
- requires laser cutter and riveters
(full overview)
-
Main band DFX file
wraps around the head
-
Rivet shield mount DFX file
holds the shield off the face
Fabrication - Design 3
- DIY model from University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Single use, foam part cannot be disinfected
- No specialized equipment required
- Assembly required, slower construction
Delivery supply chain
Coordinating supply, transport of materials, quality assurance and delivery is the most essential part of the process! We were blessed with a team of brilliant and devoted students who worked around the clock to create an efficient process. Below are all the documents we are using to track activities.
Key Take-Aways, courtesy of our Supply Chain Lead:
- Gather 3D printers (schools, makers, designers) and request an expected production rate
- Set up Quality Control (QC) points to find defective units and count the actual number of shields delivered
- Contact local hospital and the person responsible for handling donations and cleaning
- Appoint point contacts for all sub-groups to manage key activities now, but also be responsible for onboarding more volunteers as operations grow
-
Spreadsheet for internal trackingused to track production, supply, transport
Public communications / calls for volunteers
-
Contact form for volunteers - 3D printingused to collect volunteer info for 3D printing
-
Contact form for volunteers - laminationused to collect volunteer info for lamination
-
Email template for call for volunteersEmail to professors for call for student volunteers
-
Volunteer agreementto be signed by volunteers before onboarding
-
Student volunteer onboarding checklistused for screening volunteers
Transportation
-
Transport requestused for requesting materials pick-ups and drop-offs
-
Transport rounds workflowused to coordinate transport of prints and supplies between various points.
Quality inspection & packaging
-
Quality inspection checklistto be performed by the person packing items for delivery
-
Quality control instructionsused to ensure that all items en route to the hospital are safe and appropriate for use
-
Shield assembly stepsInstructions for health care providers - to be printed out and included in every batch delivered
Miscellaneous documents
-
Feedback formquestions for health care providers testing the shields - only needed if a different design is used
Disclaimer
These materials/designs are provided "as is" with no express or implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or any other warranty (express or implied). Penn makes no representation or warranty that the use of the materials will not infringe any patent or other proprietary or intellectual property rights of any third party.