Printing protective masks

Since the beginning of the Coronavirus crisis, Joan Miró School has wanted to contribute to the health system. We detected that Hospitals and medical centers needed protective masks to prevent contagion, so we started 3D printing them using our school’s 3D printer. We faced logistical problems as like all schools in the country, ours was closed due to the crisis. However, volunteer teachers undertook to do the printing at home and working continuously we managed to produce more than 20 masks a day.

After giving these masks to our nearest hospital, we discovered that other hospitals, primary health care centers, pharmacies and nursing homes, needed protective masks as well. They contacted us to request more masks and thus we decided to expand our enterprise, recruiting more people and equipment in order to increase production.

We also contacted the Canovelles City Council to request a room to store the masks and to disinfect them with Ozone. For their part, the City Council has been very supportive, giving us a room and even extra materials to use to make our masks.

In this room we have stored both the masks and the material used to make them (pla, rubber, silicone and acetate) and everything is disinfected with Ozone. We run a pickup service where health workers from local hospitals and care centres can come to collect masks as they need them. The room is overseen by two volunteers, both ex pupils of our school, who manage the disinfection and collection of the masks.

Our endeavour has grown so much that the members of ‘Coronavirus Makers’ contacted us to ask us to increase our efforts.

We are currently still 3D printing masks as well as ear savers, to help avoid the pain suffered behind the ears when wearing a mask.