City varsity develops face shields for healthcare workers

Dayananda Sagar University (DSU) has developed a face shield, which is a prominent Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for medical professionals treating Covid-19 patients.

Vinayaka K, Manager, Autodesk Design and Innovation Centre, DSU; Dr G K Suryanarayana, of Aerospace Engineering, and Ajay P, Automobile Engineering student at DSU, have come up with this new design.

The face shield has two components: (a) support with quick attach-detaching points to rest on the forehead of the user, and (b) transparent film to protect the user’s face from the viral load.

The team had released 3D prints of the face shield to doctors for evaluation. After some iterations involving evaluation, design and manufacture, it is proposed to transfer the technology for mass-production to achieve cost affordability by common users.

"The shield has been manufactured using Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM), a 3D-printing process that uses a filament of a thermoplastic material,” according to experts involved in the innovation.

The filament is made of Polylactic Acid (PLA) while a 120 Micron Overhead Projector Film is used to make the shield, which is swappable for fitting new film after use.

"Primarily, the shield has been developed for medical professionals, who are at the greatest risk of catching the respiratory infections akin to the coronavirus. But others attending the patients also need to be protected,” Vinayaka said.

He continued: "We already have multiple orders for the product, and are in continuous search for ways to enable mass production amid limited access to resources and technology."

The team is also willing to get approval from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Bengaluru.