3D Printers, Swimwear Maker Contribute Medical Protective Gear

VIENNA, VA — As the coronavirus crisis leads to hospitals running low on personal protective equipment (PPE), communities are rallying to get medical staff the supplies needed to protect themselves. A few of these efforts can be traced back to Vienna, from 3D printing of shields to mask production.

Karla Colletto Swimwear is keeping employees working by switching focus to make masks at its Vienna swimwear production facility. Co-owners Karla Colletto and Lisa Rovan saw an opportunity as demand for personal protective gear in the medical field grew and the brand's swimwear orders got canceled.

"From the start, our intention was to be able to keep our workforce employed and help out the community by making compliant personal protective equipment," wrote Rovan in a message to Patch. "We found ourselves switching gears at an alarming rate and retooling our facility from producing swimwear to PPE."

Colletto said the facility has the needed machinery to produce masks, and the mask they're making has been approved by healthcare officials. The brand has contracted with a source working directly with hospitals and can produce 5,000 masks per week. Colletto hopes to increase their production to 10,000 per week.

On the role of businesses helping to make protective gear, Colletto said, "I’m happy and proud to see how we are all working together, relying on our skills, knowledge and creative thinking to produce products relevant to the changing times."

Individuals are also helping to make protective gear right in their homes. Those with access to 3D printers are contributing face shield parts that can allow N95 masks and other protective equipment to be usable longer. One of these efforts is Collective Shield, spearheaded by a Vienna couple. The pair started printing shields for N95 masks after a friend working in the medical field expressed concerns about the availability of N95 masks. The project provides free shields to healthcare workers and other essential workers who request them.

The website states the goal of Collective Shield is to "help N95 masks and other protective gear last longer to better protect the medical workers and the community."

The shield produced by the 3D printer is based on a prototype the couple found online. Shipping of the shields started in the late March. Shields can be requested at collectiveshield.org, and others with 3D printers can join the effort.

Another 3D printing group is led by Dr. Eric Bubar, a Marymount University professor. Bubar and his group are printing parts that attach to a face shield to send to health care workers. One of the contributors, Jason Torchinsky, borrowed two 3D printers from Green Hedges School in Vienna where his daughter attends. He said anyone with a 3D printer can join Bubar's effort; they only need the file before they can start printing.

"If this plastic material can help them use their gear longer, that's fantastic," Torchinsky told Patch.

SEE ALSO: PWCS Students Make Face Shields For Hospitals