THE ALLEYNIAN 708 | OUT OF THE ORDINARY
THE ALLEYNIAN 708 | OUT OF THE ORDINARY
OPINION, INTERVIEWS & FEATURES
DESIGN FOR LIVING
Members of the DT Department have been producing face masks for use as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) by doctors, nurses, pharmacists and carers across London, contributing to the fight against Covid-19. Arjaan Miah (Year 11) interviewed DT teachers Simon Inchley and Sion Roberts about the project
Arjaan Miah: Can you tell me how it all started?
to play around with the files on the Computer Aided Design (CAD) program, so they were easier to take apart. Simon Inchley: To add to that, we were using a version of the Prusa one, used by the Czech Republic’s government, but we needed the headband to fit an A4- sized screen as this was easier to source – this was one of the main reasons why we needed to change the file and settings ourselves and create a variant.
Sion Roberts: It began with an email from one of the governors to Mrs Angel, asking if our 3D printers could produce visors for the anaesthetists of Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich, using an online file. We test-printed various versions of the visor; to date we’ve probably tested between 15 and 20 different versions, many of which include our own modifications. We then added in additional key features, such as the elastic which keeps the mask on the face, and a clear plastic screen that needs punching twice with a regular hole punch so that it can clip onto the headband.
AM: Are you still changing the setup or is this the final version?
SR: I think we’re close to a final version. We’re trying to refine the CAD file, so that we can print as many as possible in the shortest time, maintaining a high quality. I’d say we’re a day away from the final file, but we’re having to adjust to client preferences.
AM: What are the visors used for?
SR: At the moment, they’re being distributed to a range of different places – hospitals, surgeries, pharmacies, and care homes as well. They give full face protection for anyone who’s working in those areas. AM: What were some of the unexpected hurdles in the process? I know that you prototyped lots of different visors, but what were the problems with the original design? SR: Well, it’s a pretty good example of ‘just in time’ production: each component for the assembly is dependent on another part of the production. In order to make the full mask you need the 3D-printed headband, but, if that print fails, then we can’t assemble it. Then we’ve had issues caused by the elastic or screens not being delivered on time, or being unavailable due to the Corona pandemic, and therefore assembly has had to be paused. For the printed headbands, we can stack them up, and get either 8 or 16 per 13- to 20-hour print, but it’s then hard to separate them. We had
AM: At what rate are you making them?
SR: The current output is 70 to 80 per day, but two printers are out of action. Once they are fixed, we should be printing over a hundred per day. [Editor’s note: After the interview, the College was lent 3D printers from JAGS, enabling the production and distribution of about 150 masks a day.]
AM: How long are you planning to continue the production?
SR: We’re very happy to keep making them for as long as they’re needed. It could be that the government brings in proper PPE for frontline hospitals and surgeons, but there could still be a lack for care homes and pharmacies. If they’re needed, as long as we have the materials, we’ll keep sending them in.
IF THEY’RE NEEDED, AS LONG AS WE HAVE THE MATERIALS, WE’LL KEEP SENDING THEM IN
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