Gaithersburg Couple 3D Prints Face Shields For Hospitals

GAITHERSBURG, MD — For the past two years, Hobie and Alicia Cohen have been using their 3D printer to make wall mounts for vacuum attachments and Christmas tree ornaments. Now, the Gaithersburg couple is using it to make face shield parts for hospital staff on the coronavirus frontlines.

"We have a 3D printer. Why don't we help out in some way?" Hobie, an engineer at Lockheed Martin, told Patch.

The Cohens called multiple hospitals, asking what they could do to help. One doctor, who worked at Holy Cross Hospital in Montgomery County, told them that his facility needed thousands of face shields.

The trio exchanged ideas and pictures over email before eventually settling on a design that would meet the hospital's needs.

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"When we were first getting into this, (we wondered) how we were going to afford making all these face shields," Alicia said. "We were happy to donate some of our time and money. But face shields cost thousands and thousands of dollars."

That's when the couple decided to set up a GoFundMe page.

As of Saturday afternoon, they raised $9,931. The money helps cover the cost of materials.

"People just started donating and donating and it really surprised me to see how many donations we got from people we didn't even know," Alicia said.

People didn't just donate their money. Some wanted to help out — whether it was to 3D print parts, sand down prints, or prepare units for delivery.

The 3D-printed part of the face shield is the head piece. It typically takes the Cohens a little more than an hour to make.

In addition to 3D printing parts, Hobie and Alicia have procured pre-assembled face shields from manufacturers.

According to the couple, it's about getting the face shields as soon as possible.

"The name of the game here is speed," Hobie explained.

With help from manufactures and the community, Hobie and Alicia delivered all 2,650 face shields that Holy Cross in Silver Spring and Germantown wanted.

Now, the Cohens are trying to create and assemble 1,000 face shields for Medstar Montgomery Medical Center and another 200 for the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless.

"The more funding we can get, the more volunteers we can get and the more connected we are to the medical community," Alicia said.

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