Protective Face Shields#

Pour le français cliquez ici

How to make Protective Face Shields in Fablabs#

A multidisciplinary team at the Fablab ULB (Belgium) has developed Face Protective Masks in collaboration with the Hospital CHU Saint-Pierre in Brussels. We are now contacted by several hospitals in Belgium and outside Belgium. We are currently supported by the Fab-C in Charleroi and the Fablab YourLab in Andenne, other Fablabs are joining the operation.

All together, from the 23rd of March 23 to the 10th of April 2020, we have produced more than 30 000 masks in Belgium.

You will find below several tutorials to reproduce these masks. The 4 models on this site have been validated by the CHU Saint-Pierre of Brussels (Belgium).

Practical info#

Do you need masks?#

For the region of Charleroi Métropole including Chimay, please contact Delphine Dauby (Fab-C) at delphine.dauby@ulb.ac.be (0479/209347 - facebook).

For the region of Mons and surroundings, please contact Martin Waroux (FabLabMons) at martin.waroux@fablabmons.be (0499/253305)

For the region of Tournai - Wallonie Picarde, please contact François Bouton (Fablab WAPI) at francois.bouton@wapshub.be (0477/134010)

For the region of Andenne, please contact Shirley Lefebvre (YourLab) at shirley@yourlab.be (085/844675)

For other regions and Brussels, please contact Cécile Sztalberg of the Fondation Michel Crémer at the address covid@michelcremerfoundation.eu who supports the operation of the Fablab ULB.

Do you want to help us ?#

You have access to 3D printers or laser cutters to make additional masks#

  1. Please contact your nearest FabLab :

  2. Make the masks by following the tutorials below (these 4 models have been approved by the CHU Saint-Pierre de Bruxelles).

  3. The Fablabs will take care of redistributing the masks produced to the hospitals and 1st line staff who need them.

The Fablab ULB needs equipment!#

Can you help us? Drop off the equipment directly to the Fablab ULB. Are requested :

  • 300m x 210mm x 0.2mm PCV A4 plastic sheets (A4 slides)
  • A4 gusseted envelopes

Masks models and tutorials#

4 models have been validated by the medical officers of health and the management of the CHU Saint-Pierre hospital in Brussels with a first order of 1500 units to be produced. We share tutorials for the 4 of them here.

1 - with the 3D printer#

Inspired by the protective mask created by Prusa, we have developed a lighter version that is faster to produce due to time constraints.

Hardware and tools#

  • Material :
    • a transparent A4 sheet
    • PETG or PLA coil
  • Tools:
    • 3D printer
    • punch (5 mm or 6 mm holes)
  • Production time: 30 min per mask

Tutorial#

Tutorial here

2 - with the Laser Cutter#

We have had this model from Thingiverse designed by LadyLibertyHK validated by the CHU Saint-Pierre hospital in Brussels.

Hardware and tools#

  • Material
    • Plexiglas plate in 3 mm
    • transparent A4 sheet
  • Tools:
    • laser cutting machine
    • one drill + 3.2 mm drill bit.
  • Production time: 1 minute per mask

Tutorial#

Tutorial here

3 - with a flexible strip and a laser cutter#

This solution was inspired by a design by Dr. Carmen Ionescu, from the anaesthesia department of the Ixelles hospital, and slightly adapted thanks to feedback from the CHU Saint-Pierre hospital in Brussels. It is very quick to produce and less brittle than the rigid version.

Hardware and tools#

  • Material
    • A sheet of transparent A4 PVC.
    • A sheet of Priplak® (polypropylene), 1mm thick, 70 cm long minimum.
  • Tools:
    • Laser cutting machine
    • Cutter
  • Production time: 2 min/piece

Tutorial#

The complete tutorial and the files for its realization are available here.

3bis - with a simpler flexible strip and a laser cutter#

This solution was inspired by a design by Dr. Carmen Ionescu, from the anaesthesia department of the Ixelles hospital, and shared under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. It is very fast to produce and less brittle than the rigid version.

This version is an alternative of the flexible headband to laser cutting.

Hardware and tools#

  • Hardware:
    • A sheet of transparent A4 PVC.
    • A sheet of Priplak® (polypropylene), 1mm thick, minimum length 70 cm.
  • Tools:
    • Laser cutting machine
    • Cutter
  • Production time: 1min30/piece

Tutorial#

The complete tutorial and the files for its realization are available here.

3ter - with a flexible strip and a cutter only#

This solution was inspired by a design by Dr. Carmen Ionescu, from the anaesthesia department of the Ixelles hospital, and shared under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.

This is an alternative version of the flexible headband made with the laser cutter.

It is very fast to produce and does not require any technological cutting machine.

Hardware and tools#

  • Hardware:
    • A sheet of transparent A4 PVC.
    • A sheet of Priplak® (polypropylene), 1mm thick, minimum length 70 cm.
  • Tools:
    • Cutter or a pair of scissors
  • Production time: 5min/piece

Tutorial#

The complete tutorial is available here.

4 - with a hygiene cap#

simple solution from the Department of Stomatology and Maxillofacial Surgery of the St-Pierre University Hospital in Brussels and from the Fablab ULB.

Hardware and tools#

  • hardware
    • A Hygiene cap
    • A sheet of transparent A4 plastic.
  • Tools:
    • Stapler
  • Production time: 1 min/piece

Tutorial#

The complete tutorial is available here.

Mask disinfection protocol#

Download here a disinfection protocol made with the CHU Saint-Pierre of Brussels

More information on this page.

About Us#

The Fablab ULB (Université Libre de Bruxelles ULB, Belgium) is a multidisciplinary team of academics, researchers, technicians, students from different Faculties (Science, Architecture, Law, Brussels Polytechnic) and also artists, designers, makers and citizens. It is supported in its mission by various ULB research laboratories, namely the Frugal LAB (Faculty of Sciences), the Juris LAB (Faculty of Law) and the BEAMS (Ecole Polytechnique de Bruxelles).

With the precious collaboration of#

This particular project was carried out in collaboration with the Fab-C of Charleroi and the fablab YourLab of Andenne and supported by the fondation Michel Crémer.

We have now been joined by other fablabs, associations and companies:

They talk about us#

In these times of crisis, journalists sometimes take unfortunate shortcuts:
In the articles below, understand by “engineers” -> a “multidisciplinary team of scientists, architects, designers, engineers, doctors and technicians “.
Multidisciplinarity is the DNA of Fablab!