Coronavirus: LI Machine Shop Makes Reusable Masks With 3D Printer

BRENTWOOD, NY — A Brentwood machine shop is looking to help during the coronavirus pandamic by working to produce masks for health care workers using a 3D printer. For the past two weeks, Matt Mendez, the owner of the LI Racing, and Christian Price, who works at the business, decided to use their 3D resin printer recently purchased to manufacture parts, to create durable, reusable masks.

"We have been humbled by our community with the amount of support we have received so far," a message on the LI Racing website reads. "We are currently 3D printing 24/7 and listening to the communities' immediate need for supplies."

According to Price, the large 3D resin SLA type printer uses an LCD screen to expose resin, a polymer that acts like a glue, which is UV sensitive. The design of the mask is then created on a laptop or computer using a software which then transfers it to the printer. The two have tried several mask designs and are currently on the sixth prototype and now they are looking to get the masks approved.

Price said they are trying to make as many possible to donate boxes of 30 masks at a time to health care workers. With one bottle of resin, they can make 150 masks. So far, the duo has obtained four bottles to make about 600 masks. They have made a total of 250 masks.

The mask-making process is both time-consuming and expensive. Price said they can make about 15 masks in a single print, which takes about four or five hours. They then put the masks through a curing process, putting it through baths of solvents and then through a UV water bath.

"The masks are designed to be cleaned, sterilized and put back in use with a new filter," he told Patch.

The masks have a filtration that can be covered with an N95 material. But these sophisticated masks come with a price. That's why last week Mendez started a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe to help them raise money to continue producing these masks. Price said they are hoping to buy a second 3D printer to start making more and help offset the costs of the resin, which costs $400 a bottle, and the other supplies. The goal of the page is to raise a total of $50,000. As of Tuesday, the page has raised $2,292.

Click here to visit the GoFundMe page.

Price and Mendez are also spreading awareness to share their design with others and encourage other people to help make masks for those who need it most. Their design is available for download on their website and according to Price, anybody who is a hobbyist or has access to a 3D printer can make them.

"We're just a small business just trying to help the frontline people who are out there," Price said. "We're just basically trying to give everyone an advantage to not spread [the coronavirus] and hopefully to get our economics back up and going as quickly so we can get our lives back together."

In the future, Price says he hopes they are able to make enough masks to possibly donate to places such as the Javits Center in New York City, which was recently converted to a coronavirus hospital, the NYPD and MTA workers. According to the website, the shop is hoping to reach a goal of producing over 1,200 printed masks per week.

All photos/videos courtesy of Christian Price

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