A Coquitlam couple is turning their hobby into help for medical workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jamie Haakons and his wife, Keisha Go, are using their own 3D printer to make frames for face shields as well as ear savers — a kind of plastic clip that helps medical masks fit more comfortably.
Haakons, a mechanical engineer, said he’s been fascinated for several years by the technology that uses thin filaments of plastic and computer programming to build three-dimensional objects layer by layer. When a friend got a kit to put together a 3D printer, he bought one too, and started making small components like holders for his cellphone, tablet and pencils, as well as brackets to support shelves in their River Springs home.
But after returning from a recent trip to the Philippines, where his wife is from, Haakons realized his hobby could have a more serious purpose. That country has recorded more than 3,200 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 152 deaths, and like many other places, medical resources and supplies are being stretched beyond capacity.
“We have a lot of front-liners in our extended group of family and friends,” Haakons told The Tri-City News. “We have a lot of people in the thick of it.”
Using plans and programming sourced from an online group of fellow 3D printer hobbyists, Haakons fired up his machine, plus another donated by a neighbour. Each visor frame takes about 45 minutes to print, to which he affixes a clear acetate shield that, while not officially approved for medical use in controlled environments like operating rooms, “at this point health care workers and dentists just want something between their face and patients,” he said.
When Haakons’ initial run of 100 visors couldn’t be shipped to the Philippines because receiving centres for courier companies there have been closed, the couple decided to distribute them locally. Sunday, they delivered 150 face shields and 100 ear savers to a contact at Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver where Haakons was born and his grandmother recently passed away while in hospice care.
“It was neat to be back for a good purpose,” he said.
Haakons and Go are boosting their effort by raising money through a Facebook donation program to help purchase two more printers that are already on order, as well as enough of the $30 spools of plastic filament and the acetate sheets that affix to the visor frames to make 1,500 face shields in the next few weeks. When the public health crisis is passed, the additional printers will be donated to schools.
Haakons estimates once all the printers are running, they’ll be able to produce 100 masks in an 18 to 20-hour day.
“We’re getting up early and staying up late,” he added.
• You can support the effort by Haakons and Go to print face shields and ear savers by clicking here.
