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People Around the World Are 3D-Printing Face Shields to Battle the Coronavirus
An informal network of thousands of printers is emerging to provide critical medical supplies
On March 18, Michael Perina’s five-year-old son was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia and trouble breathing. Perina wasn’t allowed to see his son, who had been brought to the intensive care unit and was being tested for the coronavirus.
“It was basically, ‘What do I do at this point?’” says Perina, who runs a 3D-printing shop in Staten Island, New York. As he waited for results, he sought out ways to help. After seeing reports of massive shortages of personal protective equipment plaguing medical professionals, he decided to start printing face shields—transparent disposable full-face masks that help block transmission of the coronavirus.
“Instead of just sitting here doing nothing and feeling helpless, I can get the machines running and do something that would help the cause,” he says. Perina launched a GoFundMe, raising nearly $10,000 for printing materials. Perina says he is now equipped to produce up to 4,000 shields per day.
Medical facilities in the United States are facing a dire shortage of face shields, N95 masks, and other personal protective equipment, as states…
