The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Schools and colleges face up to the PPE challenge
Staff using 3D printers and laser technology to produce masks for Tayside care workers
Perthshire schools and colleges are using 3D printing and laser technologies to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) to key workers across Tayside.
Strathallan School, Glenalmond College and Perth College UHI have all donated face protectors to medical and council staff who continue to brave the frontline in the battle against coronavirus.
Craig Wiles, head of design and technology at Strathallan, pioneered a laser-cut face mask design which not only protects but also prevents key staff from painful blisters that workers have been experiencing due to prolonged use.
Craig and his team of volunteers manufactured the equipment for more than 100 key workers across Tayside on Saturday and have made the design publicly available to anyone who wants to join the cause.
He said: “When I heard from a friend about the doctors and nurses who are suffering pain and blistering from wearing fabric masks for extended periods, I knew there must be something we could do to help.
“Having found designs for 3D printed ear guards, I realised there must be a simpler and more accessible way to produce these for even those without a 3D printer, which is when I came up with the idea for a laser-cut design.
“These can be produced at home – you don’t need a laser to cut them out, and you can use any sort of flexible plastic, like a thoroughly-washed milk carton, to cut out your own to support key workers where you are.”
Staff at Glenalmond College have also been making protective face shields in a workshop which are destined for NHS pharmacies and care homes in Tayside.
Gemma Crozier, a design and technology teacher, has been leading on the production and alongside the school’s warden, Dr Michael Alderson, made 60 of the shields on Friday.
Dr Alderson said: “We are delighted to be helping, even in this small way, to support the work of our frontline medical and care key workers.”
Perth College has also donated thousands of PPE items, including gloves, aprons and masks, from across their different departments to Perth and Kinross Council care workers.
The college’s creative industries department also sent the local authority a “hybrid mask” design for use in their 3D printers.
Catherine Etri, associate principal, said: “We were happy to hand over as much protective equipment as we had available, in order to help the frontline staff who are doing an amazing job at keeping our communities safe.”