PRECISE Produces 3D Printed Reusable Face Shields to Address COVID-19 Outbreak

Alex Jahanbani April 7, 2020

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People worldwide are doing their best to protect their families and themselves to reduce the transmission rate of the Coronavirus – COVID-19. Protective tools such as face masks of appropriate quality are unfortunately out of stock in most pharmacies and retail stores.

In wake of the same, PRECISE a Dubai based company that is at the forefront of the 3D printing industry for the past 8 years has been working relentlessly to manufacture 3D printed Face Shields that are giving an additional layer of protection for you, your family, your Teams. These face masks are perfect for people that are working in the frontline jobs and is also a great solution for personal use.

Precise is 3D printing locally two types of Protective Face Shields that will help to reduce the spread of the virus when people are interacting with each other. The company has an in-house print farm where multiple 3D printers continuously run to produce the headbands for the face shields. They primarily use the Ultimaker 3D printers, which are designed and built for fused filament fabrication (FFF) or fused deposition modeling (FDM).

FDM 3D printing is a process that involves the use of thermoplastic material that reaches a melting point and is then forced out, to create a 3D object layer by layer. Precise uses PLA (polylactic acid), which is a type of 3D printing material ideal for the fast and reliable printing of parts and prototypes with great surface quality. It allows the creation of high-resolution parts and a versatile choice for creating consistently smooth and detailed prints.

“Unlike a Face Mask that is only covering the nose and mouth leaving the eyes exposed and giving only limited protection, a solid visor covers not only the full face but also makes the person wearing the Face Shield conscious about not to touch their face,” said Lothar Hohmann President of Precise Group.

It is observed that humans touch their faces between 20 to 50 times an hour, most of the time unintentional, which significantly increases the chances of contracting the Virus. Precise aims to make everybody “conscious” not to touch their face as the mouth, nose, and eyes are the main areas for the transmission of the infection.

“We hope that people realise the importance these Face Shields provides; for one it’s more effective in protecting our faces as it offers a wider 180-degree coverage on the face as opposed to only the mouth and nose with an N95 mask. This is also an economical option as the visors can be used multiple times by wiping it with disinfectants and replace them eventually at a very nominal price,” added Hohmann.