As coronavirus cases mount in Colorado, several dozen 3D printers have roared back to life on the CU Boulder campus.
As coronavirus cases mount in Colorado, several dozen 3D printers have roared back to life on the CU Boulder campus. They’re making personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers on the frontlines of the crisis.
A small team of volunteer engineers and students have taken on the project. They’re making the plastic bands that hold together face shields, a plastic barrier that covers the eyes, nose and mouth, and can help keep nurses and doctors from picking up infections.
“The supply chain for a lot of this equipment has broken down. We’re trying to help fill that gap,” said Mark Borden, a professor in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering.
The burst of activity is part of a statewide campaign called make4covid. The initiative seeks to give guidance to makers across Colorado on how to create safe and effective PPE using high-tech tools like 3D printers and laser cutters. Make4covid was kicked off independently by Karsten Bartels, MD, Phd, who is also an anesthesiologist at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, and includes participants from CU Denver and a host of local companies.
Read more at University Of Colorado At Boulder
Image: Rachel Sharpe conducts maintenance on one of the 3D printers. (Credit: Rachel & Lauren Sharpe)
