91视频

During the COVID-19 pandemic, manufacturers big and small are using 3-D printers to produce different kinds of plastic-based personal protective equipment (PPE).

Now the architecture community is joining the effort.

鈥淚f you have a 3-D printer right now you’re probably expected to be producing something,鈥� SERA Architects associate Brian Stevens said. 鈥淭here are a lot of resources out there, and I think people are learning as they go with this.鈥�

Stevens and co-worker Becky Epstein are spearheading an effort by SERA employees to use the firm’s lone printer to manufacture protective face shields for first responders and other health care professionals.

鈥淲e use it for a lot of models that are tougher to build by hand,鈥� Stevens said. 鈥淚t’s a normal tool in the model shop.鈥�

However, he added, anything that can be modeled on a computer can also be printed. And a face shield is fairly simple, particularly because the design is already available online. Using readily available printing templates for the adjustable plastic headband, Stevens printed several prototypes before settling on a final design that includes a protective visor. For the transparent face shield the team is using film originally intended for overhead projector use.

鈥淭he elastic is hard to come by, and clear plastics are getting snatched up,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou have to go where the available materials are.鈥�

A single printer running full time in Stevens’ dining room now is producing roughly eight complete face shield units per day. At one point earlier this month, around 50 face shields had been completed, with materials on hand for over 200 more. Now, additional materials, printers and end users are being sought.

鈥淭he first group we thought of was the Blanchet House, which is near our office in Old Town Chinatown,鈥� Epstein said. 鈥淲e’ve been working with them many years, and they’re still serving food to the local homeless population, and we thought of their servers and how they interact with people.鈥�

Other recipients so far include Central City Concern and Clackamas County’s Behavioral Health Division.

鈥淲e have a stockpile, and we’re reaching out to our county partners and health care partners and seeing if they have a need,鈥� Stevens said. 鈥淚t’s not hospital grade, but they do help when we’re so low on all this PPE. We just felt like we had to do something; we just wanted to help.鈥�

Central City Concern appreciates the additional resources, according to its president and CEO, Rachel Solotaroff.

鈥淲e’re really fortunate to be able to have partners and the sort of creative genius that can help us create the personal protective equipment so we can use it for, really, all of our client- and resident-facing staff,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 don’t think our street cleaners are wearing them, but they could. All of our client-facing staff are now fully equipped with PPE.鈥�

Central City Concern employs a range of such personnel 鈥� physicians, case managers, receptionists and others.

鈥淥ther donors are making gowns for us that are impermeable and can be washed,鈥� Solotaroff added. 鈥淭hat’s been another thing that’s been in really short supply for our providers who have close contact in health care and at the Hooper Center.鈥�

Other local entities are mounting similar campaigns. The Portland State University Center for Entrepreneurship, for example, recently handed 1,000 new face shields to Legacy Health for use at its seven hospitals in the Portland-metro area.

鈥淎nything that can be thought of and printed, it’s happening,鈥� Stevens said. 鈥淚t’s really up to people’s imagination how it happens.鈥�

SERA is reaching out to other firms with 3-D printing capability to see if they are interested in joining the effort.

鈥淭he weak link right now is in 3-D printers 鈥� that’s the big need,鈥� Stevens said.

Taking action to help others in a time of need is energizing, Epstein added.

鈥淚 don’t even have words for it actually,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen Brian sent out his first mask, it was a sense of relief, almost, that we could provide something that could be helpful to the first responders who are out there working so hard.鈥�

People interested in learning more about donating PPE or medical supplies to Multnomah County are encouraged to email [email protected].