Putting 3D Printing to Work
Amid the COVID-19 crisis, MSI joined local efforts to equip hospitals and medical staff with personal protective equipment (PPE).
Using 20 printers from our Wanger Family Fab Lab, MSI staff worked at home during the Museum closure to 3D-print much-needed masks and face shield parts for South Side hospitals. Over 8,000 pieces of PPE were completed and distributed, in addition to equipping our Guest Experiences staff once the Museum reopened.
Highlights from this Fab Lab project are posted below.
May 13, 2020
Tangled filament️. Jumbled 3D prints. Sometimes, fabrication isn't pretty. Trial and error have been large parts of the 3D-printed PPE process for MSI staff. Troubleshooting with each other via Zoom, as well as other makers within the Illinois PPE Network, has been super helpful. Failure is an important part of the maker process, because it clarifies the path toward something even better. In this case, it's worth every step (and misstep) necessary to get to the end result: these bags of 300 face shield frames each for distributing to Chicago hospitals.
May 6, 2020
At home, but hard at work! MSI staff are getting used to their new functional decor. These 3D printers continue to print PPE for hospital personnel and essential workers, and we're inching closer to a milestone! Almost 5,000 face shield frames have been printed and distributed.
April 29, 2020
Fab Labs around the world have changed what they typically use 3D printers for and are now making face shields, masks and more to support essential workers including frontline medical workers.
This image from one of our current offsite “printing farms” in Chicago shows an ongoing live feed of Fab Labs in Brazil, Seoul, Shanghai, Spain, and Taipei—all working under the International Fab Lab Network umbrella. This virtual room serves as a meeting place for makers to check in on each other’s efforts, and to just make human connections with a friendly “Hello” and “How can we help?"
So far, MSI has printed more than 2,000 face shields with many now being used by healthcare workers.
April 22, 2020
A look inside the project with Dan Meyer, senior manager of the Wanger Family Fab Lab, from his current setup inside a room in his apartment complex. He has been preparing the machines for MSI staff to divvy up and take home to continue their production. In these preparations, Dan also created a stacked face shield design that allows printing 15 frames at a time, greatly increasing the production efficiency.
April 15, 2020
Since picking up the 3D printers from MSI, more than 250 face shield frames and 40 masks have been made (and counting), and many have been delivered to hospitals. We're just getting started!
Dan Meyer, our Wanger Family Fab Lab senior manager, has been busy fabricating these pieces, as well as prepping the 3D printers to send home this week with other MSI employees to continue printing at their own homes. To date, Dan has been operating all 20 printers out of a communal space in his apartment building.
Our efforts are just one part of a large network of makers across Illinois, the country and around the world who are creating PPE for medical personnel and essentials workers. Way to go, makers!
April 8, 2020
This weekend, MSI staff picked up 3D printers from our #FabLab to print masks and parts for face shields at home. We’re proud to join local efforts and the #Maker community in equipping hospitals and medical personnel with PPE, and will continue to update you along this process. pic.twitter.com/tXIKOUTl5a
— MSI Chicago (@msichicago) April 8, 2020