Covid-19

Faceshields.

Our contribution to the fight against the virus

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Faceshields

Faceshields for hospitals and medical practices in the region

Together with research and industry partners, we would like to use ARENA2036 to support hospitals and medical practices in the fight against Covid-19. Instead of prototypes and components in the field of production technology and mobility, we now manufacture reusable faceshields for medical personnel.

Manufacturing with 3D printers and industrial laser cutting machines

Initiated by the research campus ARENA2036 and the Institute for Aircraft Construction (IFB) of the University of Stuttgart, we manufacture reusable face shields and hand them over to clinics and medical practices. The first prototypes were made available to the Klinikum am Steinberg in Reutlingen, the Diakonie-Klinikum and the Robert-Bosch-Krankenhaus in Stuttgart. The design was improved in cooperation with the medical staff within a short time. Other industrial and research partners quickly joined in to cover the acute need. 

As in many global initiatives, it all started with one of our 3D printers. The initial design of the face shield headgear was created in the Czech Republic by Josef Prusa (read more on the Website of Prusa Research). The face shield, developed in cooperation with the Czech Ministry of Health, is now used worldwide. In order to produce larger quantities, we quickly used laser technology through our partner TRUMPF, which enables us to produce a head mount in about 20 seconds. This results in our current 2 designs - a 3D-printed version with extra-large visor and a laser-cut version with A4 visor and high availability. 

The face shields are not certified and do not replace medical protective equipment. Every doctor/institution has to decide for themselves whether to use the face visors. We do not make any statement whether the faceshields prevent or reduce infections. 

The first prototypes were developed together with the Institute for Aircraft Design at the University of Stuttgart and the German Aerospace Center.

...and manufactured on the basis of the Czech 3D printing manufacturer Prusa Research. The design was then further developed together with clinics.

Novel robotic solutions from additive manufacturing (Space A, DLR, German Aerospace Center) are also used.

In order to achieve high production volumes, further head mounts are manufactured at TRUMPF using laser cutting processes. The remaining material can be melted down again and reused.

Head mounts cut by laser from TRUMPF.

Due to the scarce availability of transparent visor film, the Institute of Plastics Engineering at the University of Stuttgart is producing its own films for the project, here you can see the film extrusion line.

The foil is cut on a cutting plotter of the Institute of Aircraft Design, which is normally used for lightweight construction applications in aviation, among others.

The production is carried out with the help of the voluntary commitment of students of the University of Stuttgart. All components are first subjected to an incoming inspection and are getting cleaned.

The individual components are pre-sorted in order not to lose track of the daily production number of up to 1000 visors.

Silicone bands are cut to size.

Subsequently, the assembly of the face shields consisting of head mount, forehead and front shields and a silicone rubber band is carried out.

The face shields are checked and cleaned before packaging, in accordance with strict hygiene measures.

The face shields are packed in cardboard boxes and then issued in the logistics area of ARENA2036 or sent directly to the post office.

The end product is finished.

We are grateful for the chance to contribute to the current situation! Thank you to all who care for our health! #staysafe

Download section face shields

ARENA2036 Face Shields Lasercut

To increase production capacity, we developed a headband design for laser cutting based on  Georgia Tech's proposals. It is used with an A4 sheet of paper (0.3 mm thick, standard office supplies) symmetrically perforated with 4 holes (hole punch set to A6) on the long side. The material used for our headband is 5 mm POM. The additional forehead shielding is laser-cut from 0.125-0.175 mm thick transparent foil (although transparency is not absolutely necessary here). The elastic band is a perforated silicone band (10 mm width, 1-2 mm thickness, 4 mm hole diameter, 12 mm hole spacing, 24 cm total length). If you cut the silicone band yourself, you can of course remove the inner holes to speed up the process.

Assembly instructions Lasercut