118 ‘face shields’ for virus fighters

The 118 “face shields”, produced at Izmir University of Economics (IUE) to protect healthcare professionals who struggle against coronavirus, have been delivered to their owners. Argun Tanrıverdi, D. Makerlab Supervisor at IUE Department of Industrial Design, Faculty of Arts and Design, who pointed that the face shields prepared by 3-D printers, would minimize the risk of spreading, said, “This is nothing compared to what the healthcare professionals do for us, working tirelessly day and night. We will continue to make more face shields non-stop.”  

The product, made of rubber and acetate, prepared by 3-D printers, provide clear vision. Since it covers the face entirely, it minimizes the risk of spreading, and does not cause any discomfort while wearing. Healthcare professionals will be able to use the shields as they work and put them on and off easily due to its elasticity. So far, out of 118 face shields, 35 of them were delivered to Dokuz Eylül University Hospital, 10 of them to Urla State Hospital, 13 to family health centers in Menderes, Narlıdere, and Göztepe, and 60 of them were delivered to the "3D Support Collective Production Movement" to be distributed to the healthcare professionals.

Argun Tanrıverdi, D. Makerlab Supervisor at IUE Faculty of Arts and Design, pointed that healthcare professionals show great effort and work tirelessly during the fight against the coronavirus, and said that the University wanted to support them through this project.

WE ARE USING THE TECHNOLOGICAL MEANS OF THE UNIVERSITY

“We had great amount of materials we kept for students to use. We will continue to use these materials to make face shields. The university administration, Prof. Ender Yazgan Bulgun, Dean of Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, and Assoc. Prof. Zeynep Arda, Head of Department of Visual Communication Design, supported this project from the very start and put in effort. There is plenty of material at the University. We will use the technological means of the University and deliver as many products as we can to the healthcare professionals. They are fighting for all of us. They are trying to overcome difficulties and help us heal. It makes us very happy to support healthcare professionals to some extent who work selflessly and religiously on such an important task.”