There is currently a shortage of personal protective equipment. The FabLab Kamp-Lintfort at Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences has responded to this problem. Working closely with St Bernhard’s Hospital in Kamp-Lintfort and drawing on feedback from medical staff, a workable solution was sought. The aim is to produce visors that not only provide the necessary protection but are also very comfortable to wear. It is also crucial that these can be easily disinfected and, furthermore, produced quickly and in large quantities.
For Professor Dr Karsten Nebe, Director of the FabLab, one thing was clear: “Manufacturing using 3D printing is too slow to meet the immediate demand, so alternative solutions had to be found”. The FabLab team therefore developed various designs. These were tested in several rounds with hospital staff as part of a user-centred approach. The final design was quickly identified and meets the necessary requirements. The visors are now manufactured using laser cutters, which has reduced production time to just a few minutes per unit. In addition, a 3D-printed version is available, as 3D printers are more widely available than laser cutters. The design is being made available as open-source for everyone: fablab.hochschule-rhein-waal.de/visier
“Of course, we’ve been keeping an eye on what the maker community and FabLabs around the world are doing to help. 3D-printed solutions, such as these visors, were quickly made available online in numerous variations,” said Nebe. “It’s impressive to see how deeply the community has got involved here and how many people are pitching in to produce such solutions free of charge. We, too, have lent our support and produced these visors to meet the initial urgent demand.” Nebe explains: “It was important to us to meet two requirements simultaneously: firstly, we needed to develop a design that best met users’ needs – one that, of course, provides protection above all else, but is also comfortable to wear over a long period of time. Secondly, it had to allow for rapid production in large quantities to meet the acute demand.” Thanks to very intensive collaboration, a solution was developed within a week that can make a crucial difference in the current situation.
The visors are intended for medical and care facilities seeking to protect staff, patients and residents, such as hospitals, doctors’ surgeries, care homes or home care services. Due to the university’s locations, the FabLab is initially focusing on facilities in the districts of Wesel and Kleve. However, the university hopes that other districts and regions will adopt this approach and follow suit. To check whether there is a FabLab with the appropriate equipment in the immediate vicinity, please refer to the following link: https://fablabs.io ;
“Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences has developed a process and is now rolling it out across the region and beyond, in line with its knowledge transfer mandate,” emphasises President Dr Oliver Locker-Grütjen. “This demonstrates how openly and across boundaries the scientific community is collaborating during the current crisis – not only in the biomedical field in research into the virus and vaccine development.”
The university will now utilise its potential, within the limits of its capabilities, to produce as many masks as possible. The Vocational College for Technology in Moers has also signalled its willingness to join the production effort. Further FabLabs in the region – and presumably worldwide – are set to follow. As the university cannot take on the task of production in the long term, it would be desirable for local businesses to get involved as soon as possible and, where appropriate, to take over (part of) the production using alternative manufacturing processes (such as injection moulding, stamping, etc.). Should any companies agree to support the manufacturing process (including by supplying materials), we ask them to contact the DRK Lower Rhine District Association by email. Details and contact information can be found here:
Following consultations within a working group formed at short notice – comprising the DRK Lower Rhine District Association e.V., St Bernhard’s Hospital and Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences – an organisational structure has already been developed to manage distribution, logistics, production, cleaning and disinfection of the low-germ packaging, as well as distribution.
The design and manufacturing instructions, as well as the request form for facilities in the districts of Wesel and Kleve, can be found at fablab.hochschule-rhein-waal.de/visier
Please note: The face shield is explicitly not a medical device.
