I decided to fire up my 3D printer to make face shields using the open source pattern published by Josef Prusa. I wanted to document some of the resources I found online that have made this possible.

 

Face shield design

 

I started printing in early March and at that time there was only one Prusa design available. They are now up to revision 3 (RC3). I continue to use the European based design that has 4 attachment pegs for the clear shield material. There is a US version with 3 pegs that are more compatible with US sized paper and plastic film. I already committed to laser cutting the clear shield with 4 holes so I am sticking to it.

 

• Prusa RC3 face shield design (EU)
• Stacked face shield (EU)

 

Material suppliers

 

Filament – PETG

 

I typically buy all of my printer filament from Amazon, but most filament has extended shipping times since Amazon is prioritizing essential items. I found several US manufactured filament suppliers that are shipping PETG filament:

 

• Atomic Filament – as of 04/02/20 a site announcement suggests purchasing black PETG for face shields and rapid order fulfillment.
• GreenGate3D – (affiliate link with 10% off!)
• Filastruder – as of 04/02/20 a site announcement indicates orders are shipping as usual.

 

I purchased filament from all 3 of these suppliers. The orders shipped nearly immediately with package tracking. I have tried 2 out of the 3 brands and have absolutely no complaints. In the future I am definitely going to make the effort to shop with these suppliers instead of on Amazon.

 

Clear plastic shield material

 

If you can source the required material for the clear part of the shield, you can cut it to shape with a knife and template. Some people have also used x-ray film, plastic from laminating machines, and transparency film.

 

If you want to have shields lasercut, I recommend Ponoko. Right now they are also offering some support for individuals making medical supplies so check out the details.