Gulfport schools answer nurse’s plea by using 3D printers to make life-saving masks
A nurse’s message to the Gulfport School District’s Facebook page has set into motion the production of potentially critical face masks for healthcare workers on the front line of the new coronavirus outbreak.
The message asked if the school district’s 3D printers could be used to produce the protective gear, which have been in short supply as COVID-19 puts a strain on hospitals.
Sandy Commer-East, who is the community relations director for GSD, relayed the message to Superintendent Glen East, who then talked with Gulfport Memorial Hospital about if they could be of service.
East approached Clinton Brawley, who heads up the school district’s engineering and robotics department, to see if he could develop a product.
“I started doing research and I found some designs posted online by a doctor in Montana,” Brawley said. “I printed a few of those and we took those to them last week. On Friday, (the hospital) came up with a prototype that they were comfortable with us making.
“The problem was that when it touches the face, it’s not airtight (on the edges). You could still suck in air around the filter instead of through, but we found some foam that we’re attaching on the edge of the plastic. Where it touches the face, it creates an airtight shield. It forces air to go through the filter. I think it’s going to work.”
Brawley said the plan is to bring the masks back to Gulfport Memorial on Tuesday to see if officials there believe they will be up to the task.
If the hospital gives the go ahead, the school district’s 3D printers can produce up to 20 masks per day.
Gulfport Memorial has been open about its need for extra supplies, making a public request for donations for health care workers. N-95 medical grade surgical masks, disposable latex gloves, hand sanitizer and safety goggles are among the supplies that are in demand.
While Brawley admits that his masks aren’t the most attractive, but he hopes they can make a difference.
“I’m seeing stories where healthcare workers are using a bandana,” he said Monday. “Anything is better than nothing. I think this can definitely aid the local community if it prevents one person from getting sick.
“It ain’t the prettiest thing, but I think it’s pretty effective. I think it will definitely do the job. We’ll see if we’ve got the right sealant. We’ll let it cure overnight and show it to them in the morning.”
Gulfport students back in class
Brawley has used a group chat to keep his robotics students up to date on how things are going with the masks.
On Monday, three of his students made their way to the lab to check out the progress.
“This is the first day they’ve gotten any hands-on work with the masks,” Brawley said. “We’re still limited to allowing only three students in at a time. We’re social distancing. Today, the kids were just happy to be out of the house.”
Brawley sees the development of the face masks as fitting into the larger mission of the robotics/engineering team.
“Me and my students, we’re always looking for real world problems. This is right up our alley,” he said. “Before (classes) got canceled, we were working on redesigning oyster cages for (the Department of Marine Resources). We’ve also worked with the Gulfport SWAT team to create a robot that could breach doors.”
