Phoenixville Area Residents Hoping To Produce Medical Supplies

PHOENIXVILLE, PA — As local hospitals prepare for the nationwide shortage of crucial medical supplies and personal protective equipment, a group of Phoenixville area residents has come together with hope in a unique solution.

Rather than waiting for businesses to decide to produce needed gear, they're hoping to produce the needed supplies themselves.

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"I've been watching the case count grow for the last few months," organizer Shai Perednik told Patch. As the numbers continued to grow it became clear that there was going to be a shortage of supplies. My thought was if we gathered all the local makers ahead of time and coordinated with local medical professionals we could possibly get ahead of the supply shortage before it becomes an issue."

One big issue they face, however, is ensuring that any equipment they produce satisfies the necessary medical standards.

And that's no easy task. National regulating bodies require strict standards for all personal protective equipment, and those standards are strict enough so as to be nearly prohibitive for many of the more complex items.

But there is reason to be optimistic, as 3D printing has been used by citizens in recent weeks in both Montana and New York to produce masks. Other supplies present different challenges, but the local "makers" are hoping they aren't insurmountable.

According to Perednik, other maker communities have seen success in producing small batches of thousands of face shields per day.

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The Phoenixville area group of makers, which has congregated in a public Facebook group, includes experts and amateurs from a variety of fields, including 3D printing and moldmaking.

They're hoping to more closely with local health workers to determine the areas of greatest need, and to clarify what specifications will be accepted before they attempt production.

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Specifically, the group is looking for experts in the following fields:

• additive manufacturing
• 3D printing
• laser cutting/engraving
• cnc milling
• CAD
• EAD
• PCB design
• Arduino/Raspberry Pi
• Soldering
• crafting
• sewing
• web design
• software development

But Perednik says they're looking for volunteers of all kinds. "If you have any experience in these areas your help will be needed should medical teams run short on supplies. Even if you don't and want to help organize, please join."

The potential shortage of supplies nationwide and locally has been stressed by experts for months. Now that the number of positives grows rapidly and hospital infrastructure is stressed, local healthcare groups are calling for donations of supplies.

To see the Phoenixville makers page and learn more, go here.