3D Printing Medical Supplies For Our Community

Last week, a friend on Facebook put out the call: 

A family member worked in the medical field and the cloth masks she uses are uncomfortable around the ears after being worn for hours at a time. Could anyone help 3D print a mask strap clip?

You may be asking yourself what a mask clip is.. we sure did. It's basically a band that goes around the back of your head for rubber bands from a mask to clip onto instead of your ears. It helps reduce pressure and tugging on the ears throughout the day and, after using one for a few minutes, I can attest to how nice it would be to have over a full 8-12 hour shift.

In a large city, there may be many businesses with 3D printers and resources to get these made. In our small town in Florida, we knew we were one of the few that could quickly change gears and deliver. That night, we printed 24 mask clips and delivered them the next day. They've been distributed to original requestor along with extras for co-workers and friends. 

The masks clip design was provided by the National Institute for Health (the 'NIH'). You can access the design here. If you have a 3D printer and some extra plastic, we recommend you put out the call on your favorite social channel to see if there's a first-responder who could use one. They are a comfort item that can really make a long shift a lot more comfortable. We are certainly not first-responders and can only imagine the exhaustion and overload they are experiencing right now. If we can provide a small amount of support to those front-liners, it's worth changing gears, pausing printing of other parts for our company and giving back.

If you are wearing a mask that tugs a bit too much on your ears, please reach out to us and we'll gladly send you a mask clip as well. It's part of our mission to give back to the community and we'd be happy to support you.. and your ears!