Curing Covid

I need to make a decision. The elastic at the back of the mask can be one of three materials, each with its pros and cons.  A. Rubber Band Price per Part:  Link Pros: Cheap, Easy to Sanitize Cons: Look Cheap, Might be Uncomfortable if Worn For Long Periods of Time B. Velcro Link Pros: Adjustable to Wearers Comfort, Looks Great Cons: Might Hold Bacteria and Viruses C: Elastic Fabric Band: Link Pros: Cheaper than Velcro, Comfortable, Looks Great Cons: Might Hold Bacteria and Viruses The only other part of this product that needs to come in place would be the foam. This should be pretty straight forward, as a product of needed properties in commonly sold as roof gutter liners. I know, it doesn't sound that great, but it's still quite comfortable. Yeah, roof gutter liner is comfortable and stylish people. lol

Here we have it. More than a month after starting this project, I finally have the finished product! It has been a long time in the making, and I have dreamed of this completion. I finally got the visors from Mr. Kwon from Fabrico. Exactly 500 priced at 60 cents apiece, equating to a grand total of $300. All and all, the material cost of this product is 75 cents, not including my time or labor needed to assemble the product. I will start out by donating these masks to hospitals, but now that I have my supply chain setup, it would be a shame if I couldn't start expanding. I will probably charge a dollar to the hospitals to keep this going. This should be an easy buy, as an equivalent product is $10 for a single piece on Amazon, and $2.50 in bulk (100 pieces). Not to worry, there will be a retail option rolling around the corner, with slightly higher prices to account for shipping and lack of mass production. But enough about my plans, here are the images of my final product.

Finally I got something for the visor sorted out. I contacted multiple manufacturers, scoured plethora of hardware for the raw material, and finally got something together. The problem I faced were numerous. Purchasing the raw materials (a PET plastic roll) online was simply to expensive per part. I tried to find a similar product in a local hardware store, thinking that shipping might have jacked the prices up. The only product I could find was a trash bag like material utterly unfit for this application. This were looking pretty dire. With little to no feedback from Fabrico I was starting to lose hope. I even contacted people over seas, thinking that the cost to start would be cheaper.  Finally, I got information from Fabrico, after a phone call, my wallet was 300 dollars lighter and I am planning when to pick up 500 face shields. This is a clear relief. With this success, I am just one step closer to scaling this thing up.

It has been a while from my last post. I have hit a bit of a road block in trying to get the clear visors I need for this project. I am having trouble contacting Mr. Kwon from Fabrico, who is the provided to Georgia Tech. I have also explored the possibility of making these masks myself. From what I calculated, the price of such an endeavour would be around 66 cents a piece. That is unfortunate, as the rest of the part only costs 7 cents a piece. Attached below is a DXF file that I developed that contains the template of the mask. Nevermind, google blogger doesn't except svg files, so if you want that specific file (54" wide by 3 yards long), then you can email me. I also started a gofundme. So far, in the 20 something hours it has been online, it hasn't generated anything, but we'll see how it goes. It can't hurt. The link to said gofundme page:  https://www.gofundme.com/f/covid19-student-rapid-response . If you guys could donate anything, it would mean the world ...

We are moving again. It seems as if we do this every year. Anyway, we were heading back from the house viewing, and I spotted Home Depot. Everybody was wearing a mask, and spaced themselves out from one another. It is kind of crazy to me that something so small can affect us in such a huge way. I bought a strip of the adhesive foam, and an assortment of rubber bands in the place of Velcro. It is cheaper, and I figured it would be easier to disinfect. I stuck the foam to the piece, and it works well in cushioning and comforting the noggin. I tested multiple rubber band sizes, and found a dimension that works. Now I can get them in bulk from online. Now I am just waiting for the plastic face shield. My uncle up in Ohio has a laser engraver that could cut this. The problem is, all the clear pet plastic sheets are in high demand, as many other people are producing this product with the same materials. Unfortunately, the representative from Fabrico (the clear face shield manufacturer) has ...

After spending some time with these frames, I have a few improvements I would have made if the design of this project was left to me. First, the front assembly has a solid infill in the forehead grip. This wastes plastic, instead I would have opted for a hollow design. Second, if the frame had been made with a slightly steeper angle, there wouldn’t have been a need to have a velcro or rubber band attachment. The tension from the plastic would be enough to stay on the head. If you direct your attention below, there is my improved version that was edited from the template file that was provided to me from the Georgia Tech's Innovation Website: https://pwp.gatech.edu/rapid-response/face-shields/

I met with Mr. Moxley today. He was really helpful, and I learned a lot from this visit. Not only did he graciously provide 360 quantities of the frames that I was looking for, but took me around to look at the machinery, and their inner workings. Injection molding is quite an interesting process that requires incredible precision. It was fascinating to learn how a majority of the world’s plastic products are made. This particular mask was designed in collaboration with Georgia Tech's Enterprise Innovation Institute. They in turn give the parts to the state guard, and the parts are distributed throughout Fema IV. After that, we stopped by Fabrico, the company that supposedly produced the clear visor parts . The Fabrico representative has still not contacted me back for the purchasing of the clear plastic part I will need. With this design, I actually need four components. The frame, clear face shield, Velcro to tighten the frame, and foam for comfort. My goal i...

I was originally planning to make a single-cavity, injection mold with my father’s 3 axis CNC machine, and provide that to a workshop. They would, in turn produce the frames, and I could get up to thousands a week. But in my research, I found Underwood Molds. It turns out that they were already producing these parts. After corresponding with the co-owner, Mr. Tim Moxley, he graciously decided to provide me with the frames I will be needing. We have decided to meet this Friday. He has also given me contact information for the producer of the clear face shield.

From yesterday's research, I compiled a list of all the local plastic production shops. I got their numbers and location from google after searching “plastic injection molding near me”. I then called all of them up, and created a spreadsheet. A screenshot is attached below. I listed the number of the company, the time it would take to travel to their location, if they would be able to produce these frames, and any further reasoning or comments.

Today was my first delivery. I delivered about 35 parts, 15 from last week. When my father put on one of my 3D printed parts, some of the excess extrusion scratched him. He noted that the part was not smooth, nor would it be comfortable to wear for a long duration. I started looking for a more efficient way of producing these frames. In my research, I came upon the process of injection molding.

I have been looking for ways to help others out during the time of this pandemic. I was recently introduced to a group of students originating from Fulton County High School. Together we’re 3D printing frames, and laser cutting the clear visors. I am making around 20 frames a week with my Ender 3, 3D printer, and altogether we produce about 180 frames. I have attached a few images of these frames that I am currently producing.