3D printing VS. covid19

Difficult and challenging days, as experience has already taught us, motivate people to do good, help and contribute. One such initiative operating throughout the world is 3D printing VS. covid19, which in Israel is led by Masks4Docs.

Eran Ivgi, a fourth year mechanical engineering student at the Be’er Sheva campus, stepped forward to coordinate the project’s activity in the southern area, of course while complying with social distancing and shelter in place guidelines. The idea is simple: an independently organized initiative of persons who have a 3D printer to produce face shields made of projector slides in order to prevent the spray and spatter of body fluids that could carry the coronavirus. These shields are worn above the familiar face masks and provide additional and important protection from fluids transmitted when sneezing and coughing.

Up until now Eran had his home 3D printer that could produce about 40 face shields a day. To increase the production rate he purchased an additional printer and can now print about 100 shields a day. After producing the shields he provides them to individuals who pick them up on their own or transfers them to the non-profit Yedidim Association that distributes them where needed. Be’er Sheva municipality employees and the Dorot nursing care facility located in Be’er Sheva’s old city are already benefiting from these shields. The high point of Eran’s vital and valued activity to date – the many masks currently delivered for use by the medical staff at the Soroka Medical Center.

SCE is glad to donate 5 kg of raw material (150/200 micron A4 transparency film sheets) to Eran, which will enable him to produce several hundred more face shields. We invite you to contact Eran at 050-2556429 with any idea or donation you may to help him in this endeavor – a home 3D printer, transparency film sheets and more.

We would like also to tell you about Aviv Cohen, a third year student in the department on the Ashdod campus, who mobilized to print masks on a 3D printer.

With a 3D printer brought to his home in Gan Yavne by Alon Sheps, the mechanical engineering department engineer, Aviv began to produce masks at the rate of about 40 a day. He has already sent about 300 masks to Assuta Ashdod Medical Center, and will soon provide quite a sizeable amount to Ichud Hatzalah of Israel, the volunteer rapid response medical emergency service.

Aviv says that he feels a great sense of satisfaction because of the importance of masks at this time, and calls on anyone who can support this effort by providing raw material and/or a 3D printer to contact him at 050-5451629.

Thank you Eran and Aviv and the mechanical engineering department. We are proud of your contribution to a better world!