Help us Create Protective Equipment to Keep Our Frontline Safe!
As the BC government gives the go ahead to begin to reopen businesses and public places, frontline workers are risking their lives everyday to keep us safe and healthy, and they need the proper equipment. We need your support to create additional face shields for Okanagan frontline workers. Our team is meeting the short term need for protective equipment until commercially produced face shields are available to meet demands.
We are creating and donating reusable and sustainable shields for healthcare workers. Since raw materials are harder to come by, we have designed a shield that can be taken apart, sanitized, and reused dozens of times, creating significantly less waste as well as a more efficient use of limited materials.
Project Description
UPDATE: as BC begins to reopen, we are getting more requests streaming for PPE to keep everyone safe, and to keep the momentum of moving forward. This is why we are continuing to ask for your assistance.
We designed, prototyped and created these shields, and have approval by Interior Health for use during COVID-19 within the Okanagan Region. Each shield requires 3D printing filament, plastic sheeting, elastic banding, as well as cleaning and packaging supplies to keep the items sterile until the healthcare workers can use them, in addition to many hours of labour. We have now created and donated over 3,000 units of PPE and with your support we can keep going.
This project is a true collaboration being supported by various community members, named the Okanagan Makers Alliance, working together to give back to our frontline workers by creating and donating protective face shields.
Members across our community print parts using their 3D printing equipment. A team of student volunteers then pick up and drop off the components to makerspace UBCO, where they are all quality checked, sanitized, and packaged to be sent out to those who need them most. And of course, our whole team is following strict physical distancing protocols.
Challenges and Impact of Your Support
- Help cover material costs
Although we are donating the use of our equipment to make PPE items, the raw material cost is significant at up to $6 per PPE unit. We have sourced the specific materials that meet requirements, but need your support to continue. Please give if you can. - Create PPE parts on your 3D printer
The bottleneck of small-scale production is that we only have so many 3D printers and people trained and able to use them. Please reach out if you would like to join us! In times like these, we are much stronger than the sum of our parts, and we can do more good working together. If you would like to join the team, email us. - Share our project with others
We understand that not everyone is in a position to donate, and few of us have a 3D printer, but your ability to share our project with others is invaluable. You can make an impact by sharing this page on social media, tell your friends, email the link, or spread the word in any way. And don’t forget to tag us #makerspaceUBCO.
About makerspace UBCO
The team behind this project, dubbed the Okanagan Makers Alliance, is diverse. As the hub of this project, makerspace UBCO has a mission to promote community, collaboration, and innovation. Our members are across the UBCO campus including students and faculty from the School of Engineering, Southern Medical Program, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, as well as other students, staff and faculty. Our public community partners include the Okanagan Regional Library, Okanagan College, small businesses and passionate individuals in the community. We all bring different skills, experience and value to the initiative, but we are all here because we share a passion for making a difference and design in the service of others.
See more of this project in the news here:
