Gordon ‘makers’ 3D printing PPE for healthcare workers
It started, as many things do, online. Teacher James Morris, who works with Gordon County Schools students in the G6 program, kept hearing about the growing need for personal protective equipment in local hospitals and decided to look for a way to get involved.
It didn’t take long for him to find a group of “makers,” people with sewing, design and other skills, who had the same desire to help.
The group of approximately 30 makers acted quickly to develop designs for face shields and ear savers that could be approved by hospitals. Once they were approved, they were ready to begin.
The 3D printers from both Belwood and Red Bud elementary schools were already at Morris’ home because he wanted them to be available as students finished their projects — they could send him finished designs, which he would then print to grade — but supplies were a different matter.
He created an Amazon wishlist for all of the different items he would need to complete the project and shared it over social media. The response, he said, was incredible.
“I have had so much support. When I put that list up, people immediately started to chip in. It’s been completely purchased out twice over,” Morris said. “The support of the local community is the only reason I am able to do this at all. It really is a community project. For me, it gives me an outlet where I feel like I can give back and help in some way as opposed to having to sit on the sidelines. I think that’s true for a lot of the people donating too. We wanted to do something.”
So far, Morris said the printers have sent out at least 300 face shields and nearly 400 ear savers. As of the end of the week, he said the number of face shields would be closer to 500.
“I am now putting out 100 face shields and 200 ear savers within a week’s timeframe,” he said. “Our printers will continue 24/7 to meet the needs of our healthcare workers for as long as is needed.”
In addition to the project helping aid healthcare workers, Morris said it has been a wonderful example of how 3D printing and the technology students are learning in his classes can be put to real world use.
He is sharing his experiences making the masks, the designs and the process with his students during their digital learning, and the response from them has been very exciting.
“You can tell that they think it’s really cool that this is something they know how to do and will one day be able to contribute if it’s ever a need,” Morris said. “This is something we have been teaching for about a year and a half at the elementary school level, and it’s something I would like to see really grow in its accessibility to our students. This proves why we need it and why we need hands-on STEM education in our schools.”
Looking forward, Morris asks that anyone wishing to donate to the project do so by donating directly to the Red Bud REACH program. Checks should be written out to the program and mailed to Red Bud Elementary School, located at 4153 Red Bud Road in Calhoun.
“From there, we will be able to resupply our materials and repair the printers as needed,” Morris said. “We are currently running the printers almost 24/7 and the parts are wearing out on them and will need to be replaced as we continue this effort.”