3D Printing Faceshields

in: covid19

Both face shields, and the PET plastic sheets which they are made from are in short supply right now. This project will let you build a face shield from any thin translucent plastic, even a bread bag, by spreading the plastic tightly with a 3D printed part.

Fabrication

Firstly, print the plastic part we share here. Its purpose is to stretch the plastic into an arc, and hold it tightly enough to see through clearly.

Now, cut up any size of transparent plastic – here I’m using the bagging of a flour tortilla as an example. Overhead transparency sheets will work also, and there is no need to make holes in the sheet.

Stretch the print with your hand against a surface and put the transparent sheet in the gap. Depending on how rigid it is, you may need to bunch it up in the center and then spread it out.

Stop stretching the arc and even it out. Use the two holes in the back to add a rubber band, elastic band, or similar.

If you have the material, pull it through the top and use it to cover the gap between the arcs.

The Results

Now wear it! The shield is safely microwavable for 30 seconds at a time. The sheet can be replaced as needed. Print time is about 2 hours on an old (2012) Solidoodle printer.

Special Thanks

Special thanks to civilpedia for hosting and publicizing this design along with some of our other PPE.