Robert Welch Designs has joined a collaborative national effort in reaction to the acute shortage of protective wear for medical personnel during the current pandemic. Having been notified by 3D crowd UK, which is co-ordinating The Big Print, Robert Welch’s design team duo, Kit and Paul deBretton Gordon have started to print face shield parts for PPE equipment at home using a 3D printer.
In the face of global shortages in protective equipment, Alice Welch, joint managing director of Robert Welch Designs, urges fellow members of the housewares industry to get involved if they have access to 3D printing. She acknowledges: “3D printing communities across the world are becoming a huge driving force in the effort to produce protective wear for those who need it the most, and this scheme has already seen over 65,000 shields printed and donated to medics and other professionals.”
Alice reports: “Our designers currently have 20 printed parts which will be sent to the nearest hub in Warwickshire. These will then be distributed within the West Midlands area to hospitals, care homes and places in short supply.
“Using a PETG filament (which is the material spec required), each part is taking approximately five hours to print on our MakerBot Replicator, which is currently situated in our designers’ garden cabin(!), where they are taking all specified safety precautions when handling the parts.
“We supplied our designers with two reels of filament, and they are nearly onto the second reel, so we will carry on printing and do our part to use our equipment to help others.”
Alice concludes: “If you feel inspired to put your 3D printer to good use, or if you have any questions please get in touch and we’d be happy to share information.”
Top: Parts for face shields made by Robert Welch Designs’ of Kit and Paul deBretton Gordon.
