COVID-19 Emergency Face Shield for Large-Scale 3D Printing

There is currently a shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) amid the COVID-19 crisis. There are many variations and open source Face Shield designs out there, this design is specifically for Large-Scale (LS) 3D Printers and can be printed in under 4 minutes with the correct set up.

After multiple requests I have adapted my design to enable this to work on smaller machines, however is mainly geared towards Large-Scale machines.

I will provide the files for a few different LS set ups, which will hopefully enable you to decrease your production time.

Please note, this face shield is currently a non-CE marked product. As such, it should only be treated as a secondary additional layer of protection or used in an emergency when no CE marked alternatives are available.

Further information at www.warwick.ac.uk/faceshield

1) Printed headband (see step 1)

2) Optional - Printed bottom reinforcement

2) A4 sheet of Acetate, PVC, PP or similar - thickness between 0.125 and 0.250 mm

3) UK 4-hole hole punch OR UK 2-hole hole punch (A4 European 4 ring

4) Optional - 10 mm corner filleting punch such as (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Xcut-Corner-Punch-Black-W...)

5) Elastic or similar for strap OR printed headband (required build platform greater than 400 mm)

6) Optional - Foam for covering

7) Scissors

Print the top headband in PLA or PETG as one of the following options, the speed at which you print will depend entirely on your printer set up and its capabilities. Although the stl file has a solid cross section, by printing in Vase mode the part will be just outer walls, see picture of printed part for reference.

Option 1) 1.8 mm nozzle

Use the file 'EBV2_1.8mm.stl'

Print in Vase mode

1 mm layer height

1.85 mm extrusion width

Option 2) 0.8 mm nozzle

Use the file 'EBV2_1mm.stl'

Print in Vase mode

0.6 mm layer height

1 mm extrusion width

Option 1) 1.8 mm nozzle
Use the file 'EBV2_Base_1.8mm.stl'

Print in Vase mode

1 mm layer height

1.85 mm extrusion width

Option 2) 0.8 mm nozzle

Use the file 'EBV2_Base_1mm.stl'

Print in Vase mode

0.6 mm layer height

1 mm extrusion width

Hole punch one of the long sides of a clear A4 sheet of PVC (or alternative) to create the visor using a 4-hole punch.

If you only have a 2-hole punch, use the setting 888 or similar and punch the bottom half of the long side, then flip the sheet and punch the top half.

Optional - If using the bottom reinforcement piece, hole punch the opposite long side using a standard 2-hole punch centred.

See file 'EBV2_A4_Hole_Spacing.dxf' or 'EBV2_A4_Template.pdf' for the hole spacing.

Trim the corners using the 10 mm fillet tool, this is to remove sharp edges which can scratch the skin. This can be done with scissors if you don't have a cutter for this.

Option 1) Using scissors, cut the elastic to size, leaving enough to tie onto the headpiece

Option 2) If you have a 3D Printer with a large bed size (+400 mm) you can print a strap using the file 'EBV2_Headstrap.stl'

Using the template 'Foam Insert DXF.dxf' cut a foam piece to fit in the top of the Headband

If distributing the emergency face shields, place all components in a sealable bag along with the instruction sheet.

If assembling, assemble as per instruction sheet or watch the assembly video at www.warwick.ac.uk/faceshield.