NOTE: This has not been medically tested yet (if you can help with that, please contact me). Use this at your own risk.

What with Coronavirus/COVID-19 running wild, all sorts of PPE are running in short supply, so we need some innovation to come up with alternatives. This face shield design requires a 3D printer as well as A4 acetate sheet or the equivalent which can be found very cheaply on Ebay or Amazon. The total cost for the face shield should be no more than 30p.

Benefits of this shield: it prevents particles being deposited on the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and lips which are primary invasive sites for particle deposition. Basically, if someone coughs on you, this is the first line of defence.

Who needs this? Health care workers in high risk situations such as dentists, any hospital worker (even the cleaners, believe it or not), vulnerable people (elderly, underlying conditions etc.).

The shield can be printed in 11 minutes on an Ultimaker 2. Assembly should take approximately a minute. It’s one size fits all. It can be adjusted for smaller heads by stapling together the long loops at the back.

All it requires (apart from the print itself) are three staples, a sheet of OHP or some other A4-sized or letter-sized clear plastic, and optionally two foam sticky pads for comfort.

You will need a 3D printer with a bed size of at least 160 x 210 mm and a 0.8mm nozzle.

You can make these for considerably less by hunting around for good deals on acetate and sticky foam pads.

Download the 3D file here – this one is for spiralizing with a 0.8mm nozzle:

Use whatever equivalent you have of CURA’s spiralize smooth setting, or use the one below. You will need a 0.8mm nozzle for that.

Solid model for printing with 0.4mm nozzle or larger:

Ian Saginor version:

For queries you can contact me at: planetzargon followed by the “at” sign then by gmail dot com.

Ian Saginor across the pond is printing the eponymous version of the shield for a local hospital, here are his results so far: