Kind-hearted hobbyists have united in their love for 3D printers to make face shields for key workers battling Covid-19 on the frontline.

Individuals across Gravesham and Dartford have been supporting shop workers, hospital staff, bus drivers and care home employees by offering free personal protection equipment.

Luke Granger, a photographer from Springhead Park in Northfleet, is part of the home-based 3D printer factories supplying PPE to key workers.

As part of the largest Facebook group in Kent, called 3D Printed Shields for Front Line Staff Fighting Coronavirus, the 30-year-old, his eight-year-old daughter, Jessica, and partner Bethany have been working relentlessly to fundraise and distribute face shields to the postal service, grocery stores and hospices.

Luke said: "Dartford councillor Kelly Grehan put an appeal out on her Facebook page for PPE equipment at the beginning of April and asked if people would be willing to donate anything they had to key workers, not just at hospitals but at other frontline locations.

"Across the group there's probably more than 15 printers and about 16 volunteers.

"For me, 3D printing started as a hobby. Before this all started I already had three, but after I joined the group and began making the shields, I was donated another two – one by the West Kent Social Workers, which will be donated to Temple Hill primary school when this is all over and the other was brought by a local business, which will also be donated to a school in the future.

"Overall within the group we've had four 3D printers donated to us, all of which will be re-distributed after the pandemic."

The printing process builds a three-dimensional object from a computer-aided design model, usually by adding material layer by layer, which is why it is also called additive manufacturing.

Luke's machines range from £250 to £600 each and can construct the PPE in around 20 minutes, for as little as 70p.

He said: "The headband is 3D printed and then the visor is bought separately and slotted in.

"Unfortunately, due to demand, the price of the materials is rising and the cost, along with the 3D printers themselves, is what we're raising the money for."

The group Luke is a part of set a goal to raise £1,000 to produce the shields and distribute them for free. However, over the past three weeks they have managed to raise £8,500, with the amount continuously rising.

Large donations from both Gravesham council, which gave £2,000, and Dartford council, which gave £1,000, are among the contributions.

So far Luke and his daughter have donated to Darent Valley Hospital, first responders and many care homes across North Kent.

Dartford's Cllr Kelly Grehan said: "I put the appeal out for PPE donations on Thursday, April 2, after receiving messages from workers in care homes who were worried about not only their safety, but also their families and the people they worked with.

"I got a really good response from the post and had lots of donations, but a lady, Trish, contacted me and said she was going to have a go at making the face shields with her 3D printer. Luke saw her post and asked to get in touch with her and then, the 3D Printed Shields for Front Line Staff Fighting Coronavirus group began.

"By Saturday, April 4, we set the page up and began filling in orders from key workers who needed the PPE equipment. We created 100 shields very quickly.

"None of us have actually ever met in person but we have had a meeting on Zoom. It's nice to get people together and do something for those on the front line.

"We even have two 15-year-old boys, Theo and Sam, who are part of the group and single handedly produced 150 face shields between them.

"Everyone who has asked the 3D printing group for help has been supported, no one has been turned away. Most of our orders have been distributed across Dartford, Gravesham and a few in Medway, but we've even had a few delivered to places in Croydon and Bexley."

A face shield is an item of personal protective equipment to protect the wearer's entire face from hazards such as infectious materials, like Covid-19.

Luke said: "It's hard to see where things will go in the future, but we have now set a fundraising target of £10,000 so we can make more.

"To date we have supplied 4,500 face shields to local key workers and our goal is to send out at least 10,000 but we will carry on as long as there is still a demand.

"Our material costs are in the region of £1,000 a week which we can only continue with while the community support us through donating on the GoFundMe page."
The 3D printers run for almost 20 hours a day to keep up with demand, meaning around 460 face shields are being made a day on each printer.

If you would like to support the 3D Printed Shields for Front Line Staff Fighting Coronavirus you can donate here or for more information about the work they are doing visit their website or Facebook page.

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