PPE Initiative

Rationale

The medical and service communities at the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic are facing a shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as they face the virus and support the community's essential work. To support this need, many people in the St. Louis makers community are 3D printing PPE items and distributing them.

Our Team & 3D Printing Efforts to Support the Community

We have app. 20 Parkway students engaged in 3D printing PPE to donate to the heroes on the front lines of COVID-19 crisis. Mr. Chris Donaldson (WHS Technology & Engineering/Robotics Team), Mr. Joe Milliano (WHS AP Physics/Robotics Team), Mrs. Amie Gossett (WHS Theatre), Mr. Brandon Franck (SPARK! Engineering), and Mr. Jason Gegg (CHS Robotics Team) have mobilized and resourced Parkway students to support this special initiative. Students are using their own personal printers, district 3D printers, and handling logistics. We are primarily serving those in long-term care, where 30-40% of COVID-19 fatalities are occurring locally and nationwide. We are open to supporting all those in need in the St. Louis area.

Positive Impact*

* The statistics below illustrate the students' collective efforts and the positive impact on our community (still underway, updated 10/19/2020). To date, we have supported (5) different medical facilities and multiple Parkway School District departments and schools.

     PPE Item:                             Produced:   Delivered:   On Hand:

• Face Shield Cradle                   298                 60                238      

• Tension Release Band             802                157               645

We are also preparing to test the Buffalo E-nable Crisis Mask* - a flexible face mask design using TPU filament, PLA/Tough PLA, and a MERV1-rated filter. If you are interested, please contact Chris Donaldson (cdonaldson@parkwayschools.net). 

* See the disclaimers for testing in your facility.

• Buffalo E-nable Crisis Mask 

• MERV1-rated Filter 

Need PPE?

Click Here to complete the online request form. If you have any questions, please contact Chris Donaldson (cdonaldson@parkwayschools.net). 

Have a 3D Printer & Looking for Relevant Work?

We are happy to include you in this PPE Initiative and introduce you to a diverse team invested in solving a real-world problem. Please contact Chris Donaldson (cdonaldson@parkwayschools.net) for more information.

Special Thanks

• We owe a special thank you to an incredibly generous and tenacious team of 20 students from WHS Technology & Engineering courses, WHS AP Physics Courses, WHS Robotics Team, Spark! Engineering, and CHS Robotics Team. Without their proven expertise and personal time, this initiative would not be possible. 

• We are grateful for the continued tremendous support from Parkway School District, West High School, and the Career & Technology Education curriculum department.

• Two of our 3D printing vendors went above and beyond the call to donate much-needed materials:

  • ImageNet Consulting - (24) spools of PLA filament ($1,075 value)

  • Makerbot - (2) Smart Extruders and (3) spools of PLA filament ($700 value)