Parcel delivery firm DPD has joined forces with 3DCrowd to help alleviate the shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) needed to ensure the safety of frontline health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The community of thousands of 3D printer owners have volunteered to use them to make the components to create full face visors for NHS staff.
DPD is collecting the component parts from all the different volunteers and delivering them, free-of-charge, to a central hub in Sheffield where the face masks are being assembled by hobbyist electronics company Pimoroni.
DPD will then distribute the completed visors to hospitals, GP practices and other healthcare organisations around the country.
The mask design was created by Josef Prusa, a 3D printer based in the Czech Republic.
Volunteer printers have been supplying their own materials to produce the shields with 3DCrowd also collecting donations through crowd funding.
DPD chief executive Dwain McDonald said: “This is a really smart example of a community working together and shows how our nationwide network can be used to support key services at this time.
“Our healthcare workers are doing a fantastic job - despite the exceedingly difficult situation they find themselves in. The supply of the much-needed face-shields is crucial, and we are delighted to be able to help."
For information on how to donate to 3DCrowd or offer your services as a 3D printer visit: https://www.3dcrowd.uk/
