Mississippi State University faculty use 3D printers to produce face shields for Meridian medical personnel

With personal protective equipment in short supply nationwide, a team of engineers and researchers at Mississippi State University is turning to an unlikely combination of 3D printers and office supplies to aid medical personnel tackling COVID-19.

The team, led by faculty from MSU’s Bagley College of Engineering and researchers at the university’s Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems, is producing face shields by combining 3D-printed head bands with transparent plastic sheets and elastic bands generally found at office supply stores.

“We are in complete awe of the outpouring of support and donations we’ve received from residents and community businesses. The donation of these face masks from Mississippi State University helps ensure our front-line staff remains safe while caring for patients.”

The head band for each face shield takes approximately two and a half hours to print. Using 10 different 3D printers, the team is producing approximately 250 shields per week using polylactic acid filament. The first batch was donated this week with over 100 going to both Rush Foundation Hospital and Anderson Regional Medical Center in Meridian, where they are being used by medical professionals caring for patients with coronavirus.

Face shields are generally used in conjunction with surgical masks and protect the eyes, nose and mouth from splashes and sprays. The MSU team developed two prototypes before working with Kennedy to determine the best option for the Rush Foundation Hospital medical staff.

“With PPE in short supply through our normal procurement channels, innovation has become a critical factor in making sure our staff and patients are protected. Many, many thanks to MSU’s faculty and researchers for developing a face shield that can be produced with easily obtainable supplies. Go dogs! Hail State! We are greatly appreciative of this donation which will go a long way in keeping Anderson staff members protected."

Working on the project are Linkan Bian, who holds the Thomas B. and Terri L. Nusz Professorship in industrial and systems engineering; Steve Elder, professor of agricultural and biological engineering; Wenmeng Tian, assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering; Tyler Hannis, research engineer at CAVS; and Abdullah Al Mamun, an industrial and systems engineering Ph.D. student from Bangladesh.

Bian said other university employees also have expressed interest in contributing to the project, including faculty and staff from both MSU’s College of Business and Mitchell Memorial Library.

Read the full story from MSU here.