Volunteers race to make shields for key workers

Call for help as demand for student’s home-made 3D printer masks grows

A Kinross-shire PhD student is making 3D printed face shields and donating them to key workers.

Gracie Wilson, 32, from the Rumbling Bridge area, has been inundated with requests from nurses, carers and home care workers desperately seeking face protection since she made the offer on Friday.

The student, who studies marine biology at St Andrews University, came up with the 3D printing plan after seeing similar initiatives being utilised in England following a national call for help by the 3DCrowd UK.

Community organisation Kinross and District Men’s Shed has also begun printing the much needed personal protective equipment (PPE).

Gracie said: “I’ve been absolutely overwhelmed by the number of people asking for them, from care homes, home carers and nurses to patients or people that have sick children and have to get out to the hospital.

“I’m going to try to print as many as I can and get them out there to as many people as possible.

“If I can try and cover my area then hopefully other people can try and cover theirs.

“There’s a UK call-out down south but I don’t see as much up here.”

After receiving hundreds of requests in the first 24 hours, Gracie put out a call for other volunteers in the area with 3D printers to help make the shields.

She said: “I’ve managed to get the time of printing down from four hours to one hour and 40 minutes each.

“We now also have two volunteers who also have 3D printers.

“Val Rough of Milnathort has been helping with the design and printing since yesterday and she has also recruited her friend to help us too, Jim Wilson.

“I’m struggling to source some resources but I have some for now.

“I’m still taking orders and I will continue to do so until I either run out of funds, supplies or orders.”

Gracie has set up a crowdfunding page to help with supplies and hopes to buy a second 3D printer which she will then donate to a local school after the pandemic.

Any additional funds left over will be donated to the NHS.

Kinross and District Men’s Shed has also seen a huge demand from key workers for the sought-after protection equipment.

Men’s Shed member David Connor said: “We are making face shields for workers who are helping fight coronavirus. The demand has been almost overwhelming and we are using a lot of materials and plan on purchasing another 3D printer to cope with huge demand.

“When life gets back to normal we will donate a 3D printer to one of the local schools.”

To donate to Gracie’s crowdfunder visit gofundme.com/f/3d-printed-faceshields-for-key-works

To donate to the Men’s Shed crowdfunder visit www.gofundme.com/f/cjbsr-face-shields

Pictures: Dougie Nicolson. Gracie Wilson shows off the face masks she has been making on her 3D printer.