Laser Cut COVID-19 PPE

This page summarises the effort by members to produce and supply laser cut personal protective equipment (PPE) for NHS staff in response to the current COVID-19 situation.

This page is a NO BIKESHEDDING ZONE and should only be used for co-ordination of the manufacturing and distribution effort.

Safety & Hygiene

Please do not compromise your own safety, or that of others, in order to obtain materials or access printers / laser cutters. Follow government guidelines and stay at home.

We must ensure that no risks at all are taken with regards to production of visors.

We must ensure that all visors come from COVID-19 free areas, handled as little as possible and, if needed, are handled in a hygienic way. If that is not the case then anything produced is not any use.

Before and after handling materials ensure you wash your hands following WHO guidance. Use sterile gloves & face mask during production, if at all possible. See more details about reducing contamination in the FAQ, below.

Collaboration & Points of Contact

DrGandalf on Slack is our NHS contact.

Geoff Hampson, one of the directors at Kitronik, is also on the Slack channel. He may be able to help with manufacturing and material supply.

Laser Cut Face Shields with Acetate Sheet Front

Here will be information.

3D Print Face Shields with Acetate Sheet Front

For information about the 3D printed face shields go here.

Laser Cut Face Shield FAQ

Please read this FAQ

Q. Is this design suitable/safe/certified/clinically acceptable?
A. Medical Practitioners have told us "the visor acts to protect the wearer from droplets/aerosols and splashes emanating from a patient's airways. The wearer therefore will already be utilising precaution (hand washing/gloves/correct procedures etc) so risk is very low and becomes theoretical rather than real when one judges risk/benefit to the wearer, the patient and subsequent patients." and "My recommendation to workforce will be this is equipment for additional protection that is not certified. So far not had anyone said no given our current supplies."

Q. What anti-contamination process should we follow?
A. Wash your hands, wipe down the material before cutting. where a mask if you have one, or one of the shields. One of our RAMC/NHS contacts said "Regarding Anti contamination: The theoretical risk is that one of you doing this work has viral particles/droplets on your hands as you handle the product as it's being manufactured. Or indeed it has been supplied to you already in this state. We have some evidence of persistence of infectious particles remaining on surfaces for prolonged times. (I'm sure that is exactly why you are asking the question by the way). So what? In reality, the visor acts to protect the wearer from droplets/aerosols and splashes emanating from a patient's airways. the wearer therefore will already be utilising precaution (hand washing/gloves/correct procedures etc so my opinion is that risk is very low and becomes theoretical rather than real when one judges risk/benefit to the wearer, the patient and subsequent patients."

Q. Why don't you just make the design out of one piece of materials?
A. We have been unable to source suitable material in bulk.

Q. I've made a better design, use it instead.
A. Thank you, you might want to take some photos and let us know about it, but part of the challenge here is allowing health care official the time to consider iterations. They're busy with other things and seem to respond best to existing items (not theoretical ones) and consistency of offer. "This one is good... we'd like more of this."

Q. I know such and such a place or person with a laser cutter, you should contact them for me please?
A. No, please reach out to them yourself. We're busy making shields and fielding questions and organising what we can. If you don't personally have access to a laser cutter, you may not be the decision maker needed to help with this task. Thank you but sorry. We are not able to arrange access to a laser cutter for you, no matter how keen you are.

Q. I have a laser cutter of about A5 or A4 size.. can I help?
A. We're not sure. This task is probably better suited to cutters at least A3 and up in bed size thats greater that 300mm x 400mm, Polypropylene can also be tricky to cut if you've not cut it before.

Q. Where can I find the cut file/latest cut file?
A. Currently we have it on this forum post at Smoke & Mirrors Community

Q. Who are you liaising with?
A. This is a good question. We've been dealing with Dr Ghandi of the Nottingham GP Alliance https://www.ncgpa.org.uk/ who is now liaising directly with Dominic Morrow as the SLACK is too noisy to effectively communicate to the group that way. We have also contacted the NUH https://www.nuh.nhs.uk/ currently there is demand for 3D printed version of the RC3 remix face shield https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/26241-face-shield-a4-binding-sheet-easy-punching-rc1-and and a perhaps lower level of trust of the as yet, unseen laser cut shield.

Q. Do they actually want this stuff?
A. Busy health care doctors and administrators don't want to be bothered with a lot of questions and decision making that they might have to pass up the line or that they may feel goes against the systems the NHS and other practices have put in place. Ad hoc improvised face shield, we are told, are needed, but we have encountered uncertainty at some levels and parts of what is an over stretched and somewhat pre-occupied organisation. Push on regardless, the shields will be needed!

Q. Should I make shields if no one has said they want them in my area?
A. They may be needed later, and desperately, the decision is yours, right now, many clinics aren't sure what they'll need or what they'll be able to get hold of if cases continue at the current predicted rates.