Volunteers produce face shields for local first responders
Boxes of face shields produced by volunteers of the Schantz MakerSpace organization await shipment to local first responders and medical personnel.
When Wayne County Emergency Management Agency director Joe Villegas put out the message that local first responders needed personal protective equipment, volunteers from the Schantz MakerSpace group jumped into action.
As the coronavirus outbreak continues, the demand for PPE is exceeding available supplies, according to the Food and Drug Administration, and it is creating shortages for some health-care organizations.
According to Villegas, getting masks to first responders is the highest priority. “We are getting about a hundred shields,” he said. “(Schantz MakerSpace volunteers) have already provided some to hospitals, so we are giving priority to (local) first responders. They are also providing them to us for the cost of material only.”
Leading the production effort of the shields are local businessmen Barry Romich, president of the Romich Foundation, and Vic Schantz, president of Schantz MakerSpace. The two have been working in tandem, along with a team of volunteers, to develop high-quality shields that can be produced quickly to get them into the hands of those that need them.
“The single most popular activity in the Schantz MakerSpace organization is the 3-D printer workshops,” Romich said. “There are a lot of people now with 3-D printers, and they have been printing the various components of the shields using those printers.”
Romich and Schantz built a prototype and took it to Aultman Orrville Hospital for evaluation. After receiving the go-ahead, they and the group of volunteers went to work producing shields that are capable of being disinfected and reused.
Romich, who also is a member of the Schantz MakerSpace board of directors, explained each shield takes about an hour and 20 minutes to produce, nearly all being the 3-D printing process.
“We explored the options, and the preferred material to make the shields isn’t available right now,” Romich said. “But one of my suppliers (had) some similar material available, and I just received my third order of it. It isn’t the preferred material, but it certainly is functional.”
During the coronavirus pandemic, the maker space has stepped up and filled a void, and the volunteers can produce shields from the safety of their homes.
“We have people working at home making these shields,” Schantz said. “It just so happens that a face shield only has two components: a 3-D printed forehead bracket and a clear plastic face shield that attaches to three protrusions on the headband. While Barry was at home cutting shields on his laser cutter, about 14 of us printed the brackets and assembled the final product.”
As if producing about 250 much-needed shields for area hospitals, fire departments and first responders wasn’t enough, Schantz decided to improve on the idea.
The shields are typically worn in conjunction with a face mask. Usually the face mask is secured around the ears of the wearer and can become uncomfortable when worn for long periods.
“There is a product called a comfort adjustment strap that was developed by (volunteers) Rolf Nelson and Elliot Ligget,” Schantz said. “It is also a 3-D printed part. When you have that at the back of your neck and you attach the elastic straps to it, you can adjust the tightness to your particular head shape. It makes the face mask much more comfortable. We have produced about 200 of those.”
Others that contributed to the effort include Greg Barbu, Jeff Snure, Jeff Wiles, Jim Kennedy, Rob Baumgartner, Galen Moomaw, Tom Hammond, John Schantz, Don Clifton and James Fox.
To learn more about the Schantz MakerSpace, visit www.schantzmakerspace.com. For local updates and information about the coronavirus, visit www.wcjic.org.
Dan Starcher is a public communications specialist for the Wayne County government.