WHY:

We are a group of four engineering students at WPI (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) taking the class Introduction to Engineering Design. For this class, we were given the assignment to design a face shield that could be 3D printed to be used during the current COVID-19 crisis to protect newborn infants.

WHAT:

The skin and bones of newborn babies are weaker and more vulnerable than adults, especially their heads which are soft and easily molded. Therefore, a protective mask designed for them needs to prioritize protection and comfort without putting too much pressure on their heads. We decided to have our shield use a band of some sort to hold it onto the baby’s head so that they are not lying on a piece of plastic, but rather a soft material. Our design only requires two parts, which reduces the risk of babies swallowing parts by mistake. We made sure the weight of the part was kept to a minimum since a baby can only hold so much weight. Additionally, we used hooks on the front of the design for the face shield attachment instead of pegs so the attachment doesn’t risk falling off. We designed an upper shield to add more protection. The vertical design not only saves production time, but it also allows more air flow and prevents the risk of suffocation. This design is also easy to disinfect since it doesn’t have many tight crevices. 

This design was 3D printed out of PLA on a Sindoh 3DWOX DP200 3D Printer with a base plate size of 200mm by 200mm. 

WHO:

Alexandria Lehman

John Benoit

Maureen Ye

Yize Yang