A group of digital 3D printing manufacturers in Okanagan have come together to develop face and ear protection for Interior Health employees.
Led by four Kelowna residents, Dallas Rodier, Heather Marnier, Cortnee Chulo, and Ben Guidolin, the group acts as the hub for digital manufacturers in central Okanagan who build face shields and ear muffs to serve health care workers.
Heather Marnier is a technical assistant at the Okanagan Regional Library. She said Rodier started a Facebook group about three weeks ago asking others to help him make personal protective equipment (PPE).
“A colleague of mine saw this and, being a 3D printing enthusiast, invited me (my colleague) to join the group. Since there are three 3D printers available in the library, we reached out to our IT staff and they bought the materials we needed to make the face shields, ”she said.
She said the library helped by buying PETG, a special type of food-grade filament that can be sanitized according to internal health standards and then distributed to other Kelowna digital manufacturers who make face shields and earmuffs .
She said the group, Okanagan Makers Alliance, is the only one to have offered to make the shields for free or through donation. You work in direct partnership with Interior Health, which required 1,750 face shields.
Marnier said she then invited her friend Chulo to join the group. Chulo works at UBC Okanagan as a Makerspace Manager, a workspace where students and staff can use 3D printers, sewing machines, and other technology to bring their ideas to life.
“Your team is our powerhouse. They have the makerspace, they have engineering and art students and the education department so they have the most 3D printers and the largest space that we can use as a warehouse for decontamination, disinfection and storage, ”said Marnier.
The face shields produced were designed by Rodier. Marnier said he designed it so that there are very few moving parts, which gives users a more efficient way to clean them.
Rodier was connected to UBCO student Guidolin, who has since helped organize the collection of the PPE.
“As soon as we have ten face shields ready, we fill out a form, put them in a bag and leave them out for (Guidolin) to pick up. It’s all zero contact. The face shields are then decontaminated for two days and then disinfected by the university team. Then he picks them up and returns them to Kelowna General Hospital and Interior Health, ”she said.
Marnier said other groups have also reached out to them asking if they can make masks and face shields for other frontline workers, including those who work with people affected by homelessness or those who work in care facilities.
“You also need protective equipment. We have a lot to do, if we can’t help them, we really try to be a hub to connect them with other manufacturers, ”explained Marnier.
She said it was a great experience to be there.
“It’s a lot of work. There are text messages from 7am, between our team here between midnight. But it’s work that makes me happy. It takes up most of my time, but it gives me the energy doing other things and feeling something positive. The human spirit that I saw through, with people who donate their time, effort and materials … it’s so uplifting at this time. “
The group currently needs funds to continue producing protective equipment. You can find information on donations in the online group.
If you know others who are giving back and helping those in need during this critical time, send us an email and let us know!
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Twila Amato
Video journalist, Black Press Okanagan
Coronavirus
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