instructables

Protective Face Shields for Covid-19 Frontliners

by MEREKA

Due to the shortage of Personal Protective Equipment protective face shields too!
(PPE ) for those working in the front-line amidst the
Covid-19 outbreak, we thought it would be best to Supplies:
share a collaborative design for a fast and e cient
1) Acrylic sheets (preferably 4mm or 5mm thickness)
protective face shield that could be easily replicated
and mass-produced. In our search over the past few
2) A4 sized transparent PVC rigid sheet (0.2mm)
days we have found that 3D printed parts, although
highly e ective, cannot be produced fast enough to
3) Sponge o r EVA / PU Foam equivalent
meet with the current demands globally.

4) Scissors and cutters

It is our hope that products such as this can be
reproduced around the world through rapid
5) Hot glue gun + Glue sticks
prototyping for those who are in dire need of it. This
initiative is the result of a request by our friends in the
6) Elastic bands (the kinds used for tailoring) o r
medical sector who have expressed a need of about
equivalents such as Household rubber bands
30 t ho us a nd unit s pe r m o nt h of this face shield
due to the outbreak.
7) Laser Engraving Machine (in our case we use the
Epilog Helix 75W )
Please follow the steps below and make sure to share
with others that may have the capacity to build the

Protective Face Shields for Covid-19 Frontliners: Page 1

Step 1: Laser Cutting the Face Shield Holder

Protective Face Shields for Covid-19 Frontliners: Page 2

The design le for the Face Shield Holder is attached
below in several formats. The dimensions for each
Holder is 20 0 m m x 155m m . Please upload it to
Coral DRAW or any other software that you use for
laser engraving.
The Laser Engraving Machine that we are using is the
Epilog Helix 75 with a bed size of 24" x 18". We are
cutting a 5mm acrylic sheet at a setting of 100%
Power and 7% speed. Our team is currently working
on optimizing the design process to improve
manufacturing capability and any updates will be
posted here. Please follow these guidelines to ensure
the Face Shield Holder is cut properly.
The holder serves as the base point with which the
transparent PVC sheet can be slot into and also hooks
for the band that allows for the mask to be placed on
your head.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv6LoHb4mRs

Download
https://www.instructables.com/ORIG/FQJ/242M/K81UKF2K/FQJ242MK81UKF2K.dwg
…

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https://www.instructables.com/ORIG/FOS/SKUA/K84NI5W9/FOSSKUAK84NI5W9.ai
…

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https://www.instructables.com/ORIG/FQ3/WJO4/K84NI5WA/FQ3WJO4K84NI5WA.pdf
…

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https://www.instructables.com/ORIG/FEA/5A6I/K84NI5WB/FEA5A6IK84NI5WB.svg
…

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https://www.instructables.com/ORIG/FMB/WNDK/K84NI5WC/FMBWNDKK84NI5WC.dxf
…

Step 2: Separate the Laser Cut Pieces

Once the acrylic sheet has been cut, separate the
holders and ensure all edges are polished smooth for
your medical o cer. If you get this step wrong, the
pieces are not going to come o right so please do a
few test cuts on single pieces until you get your laser
settings right. Only then should you get your
production template under way.
In our case, we tested cutting a few of the holders
with 5mm plywood rst before moving on to the
acrylic sheets for mass production.

Protective Face Shields for Covid-19 Frontliners: Page 3

Step 3: Attach a Sponge or Foam to the Face Shield Holder

Cut a piece of EVA foam into a 250mm x 20mm strip to t the inside of the Face Shield Holder. Using a hot glue gun,
stick the strip of foam on the inner side of the shield for added comfort and t.

Protective Face Shields for Covid-19 Frontliners: Page 4

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2vn-MieXVg

Step 4: Alternative Method for Foam Attachment

This is an alternative method of attaching the foam incision only cuts ha lf w a y through the foam and not
onto the back of the Holder using a foam with a all the way through.
thickness of 20mm-25mm.
You can now slot the foam onto the back of the
First, cut your PU foam into 250mm x 20mm strips and Holder where it should sit nicely without the need for
make a small incision along the middle line of the a glue gun.
strip with a cutter. Being very careful, ensure that the

Protective Face Shields for Covid-19 Frontliners: Page 5

Protective Face Shields for Covid-19 Frontliners: Page 6
Step 5: Attach the Transparent Sheet to the Holder

Carefully slot the A4 transparent PVC rigid sheet
(0.2mm) ho riz o nt a lly into the slit that was cut into
the Face Shield Holder.
For longer coverage, an A3 transparent sheet
attached vertically would also work.
of the transparent sheet with a margin of about 5mm
from the top so that it doesn't slip out.
Alternatively, you can also attach a thick foam tape
5mm - 10mm from the top of the sheet in place of the
staples.

Secure this connection by stapling along the top edge

Protective Face Shields for Covid-19 Frontliners: Page 7

Step 6: Curving the Edges on the Transparent Sheet

Round o the edges on the bottom of the transparent sheet with a pair of scissors to make it safer for use by the
medical o cers.
Protective Face Shields for Covid-19 Frontliners: Page 8
Step 7: Attaching a Band to the Face Shield

Using a piece of Elastic band (or multiple rubber for hygiene purposes. Hence we've designed it to be
bands) connect both ends of the Face Shield Holder to modular so that it's no t m e re ly a s ing le us e
create tension within the band and to allow for the pro duct .
Face Shield to be fastened on the head.
The transparent sheets and elastic / rubber bands are
We have found out that the front liners are using a interchangeable which makes the Holder reusable
similar piece of equipment in a ward to screen 20-30 provided it gets sterilized after each use.
patients per face shield, and then later disposing of it

Protective Face Shields for Covid-19 Frontliners: Page 9

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXiJ9Po-R8Y

Step 8: Finishing

The Face Shield is now complete and ready to be an industrial 4' x 8' CO2 laser.
packed!
Make sure to share this with all relevant personnel to
This process is quick and e cient, allowing for over 10 help provide this basic necessity for those ghting in
pieces to be made in an hour using a small 2' x 1.5' the front line to combat the virus.
laser cutter (depending on manpower and resources)
and should increase by several factors if made using

Protective Face Shields for Covid-19 Frontliners: Page 10

This is great! Do you think we can sub wood or mdf for the top portion? Just trying to use what I
already have
https://github.com/audigydekwmak/lasercutfaceshield
Here is the latest github link.

Protective Face Shields for Covid-19 Frontliners: Page 11