Additive manufacturing community 3D-prints devices that safeguard health care workers

The New York State founder of a club devoted to 3D printing produces face shields for personnel at an urgent-care facility

Jim Dillon modified the design of a face shield he found online so he could print it faster.

It wasn’t too long ago that Jim Dillon was teaching young people in Batavia, N.Y., how to manufacture fidget spinners on a 3D printer. Today, all the kids are stuck at home, and Dillon is busy manufacturing far more important objects: life-saving face shields for doctors, nurses, and firefighters.

Dillon, who owns Innovative Technical Resource Group LLC (email: jvdillon@itrgllc.com), a company that offers mechanical design and engineering services, became interested in additive manufacturing 10 years ago. Since then, he has built and improved upon several kit-style 3D printers.

Somewhere along the way, he felt the need to “inspire teens to build things, to get their creative juices flowing” and started an organization called Harvester Makerspace. It provided interested teens access to additive, subtractive, and other manufacturing equipment.

Due to the high cost of insuring students operating bandsaws and other power equipment, however, his first foray into the maker movement stalled. So he shifted to a digital-fabrication model and opened the Batavia Tech Club, which is “dedicated to inspiring people … to explore technology-based hobbies and careers through hands-on activities and projects.” Like printing fidget spinners. That all changed a few weeks ago when he was approached by a friend who works at a local urgent-care health center. “She asked if I could 3D-print the Prusa Face Shield that’s being talked about on the news and social media,” Dillon said. “I found the files, downloaded them, and got right to work.”

There was one problem, though. The open-source face shield took “an unreasonable amount of time to print,” said Dillon, because of unnecessary features and branding. Undaunted, he redesigned the headband to make it print faster, and modified the visor to fit on the 40-watt laser cutters common among hobbyists like himself.

“That allowed me to use [plastic] report covers I found at the Dollar Store instead of 4- by 8-ft. sheets of acetate, which I did not have access to,” he said.

As of this writing, Dillon has fabricated several dozen face masks, with orders for more coming in almost daily. “Considering the current situation, I’m fortunate to have enough regular work coming in that I can pay for the materials and equipment maintenance,” he said. “I hope that continues, and that other makers can join me, because this is clearly an important cause to all of us.”