Skygear Resources Utilized to Help Fight the Spread of COVID-19

With the global health pandemic on the rise, those of us at Skygear Solutions wondered what we could do to help those in need during this crisis.  The use of drones in China and other countries seemed a bit Orwelian and, frankly, not practical.  While we hope that some serious use of drones will contribute to this fight, we didn’t feel that it was something we should be exploring just yet.  Skygear has personnel that are also heavily involved in the use of 3D printing equipment and we figured that it should be put to good use during this time.

Joe Warwick, our Chief of Operations, has worked within the educational sphere for thirty years, teaching Physics to High School students and those a little younger through his Physics & Flight Summer Camp, which has been operational for the last 17 years.  A former student of his, Jason Erdreich (now a teacher himself, heavily involved in STEM education), has joined the #hackthepandemic maker movement in developing 3D printable face masks and shields for both healthcare workers and the general public.  Though Jason is not an employee of Skygear, his efforts have inspired us to use our equipment to assist in the creation of these items for those who need them.

Jason is currently printing hundreds of masks and shields daily, donating them to local hospitals.  Joe has partnered with some other 3D printer owners and they are producing a few hundred per week – also donating them.

Two items are being printed.  The face mask and a face shield holder (designed by another group).  The face shield is to be used with clear PVC sheets such as the ones available through Amazon:

Amazon Face Shields Material Link HERE.

The face shield was designed by PRUSA and more information can be found on their website HERE.

Here are download links to all the files needed to print both items:

Face Mask DOWNLOAD LINK (59.9MB ZIP file)

Face Shield DOWNLOAD LINK (14.5MB ZIP file)

In NO WAY do I or Skygear Solutions, Inc. warrant any of these items to protect from disease completely.  They are designed as secondary use to medically certified devices.  The hope is that these creations can supplement the existing, approved devices so that their quantities and availability don’t disappear completely during the present crisis.

The face masks are designed to hold the circular cotton makeup remover pads which are commonly found in many retail stores.  Again, we are not providing medical advice here.  You may choose to use those pads or simply cut out the material from existing face masks in a manner which provides 4 or more masks from just one.

Here are some generic instructions for use of the Face Mask print:

Face Mask Instructions (PDF)

Please feel free to share this information and these files with anyone you believe can use them.  If you have any questions or concerns at all, you may email us at:  Support@SkygearSolutions.com any time.

Thank you and be safe and healthy out there – maintain separation and self-isolate to the absolute best of your ability!

We can all get through this, TOGETHER APART.