We've been living in a different world lately. This pandemic suddenly created a situation where personal protection equipment is hard to find during a time when our health care workers are putting their lives on the line to fight a rapidly spreading deadly virus. In all the craziness, some additional heroes have emerged to help hospitals and healthcare workers in their biggest time of need. Here at Vestibular Today, we are so proud of the efforts put forth by our friends in the 3D printing industry to design and print face shields for COVID-19 front line workers.
Thank You 3D Brooklyn!
Back in March, Will Haude from 3D Brooklyn started a Go Fund Me Campaign to raise money in order to help New York's dire need for PPE. The money raised was used to purchase the materials needed to create the face shields and provide them for free, as well as to purchase additional 3D printers to maximize their efforts. Their team literally worked around the clock, and thanks to the generosity of those who donated, they raised over 5x what they were asking for. As of May 13th, 2020, they have been able to provide over 11,500 face shields to more than 150 hospitals. They have also made their design package available to the public, so that anyone with a 3D printer can print their own mask at home. Find more information about their COVID-19 response and design package here: https://covidsupplies.nyc/
3DBK is a 5-yr old manufacturing company in Brooklyn (technically) Queens, NY.
Its day-to-day operations are led by Nate Kolbeck, Will Haude, and Max Steiner. Their COVID-19 response project has a team of 13, many who are volunteering their time, either in the form of at-home logistics and communication or in the studio assembly, for the greatest output possible.
You can view more of what they are usually up to here: https://3dbrooklyn.com/
We are so grateful for 3DBK! Thanks to them, the idea of The Functional Inner Ear model was made a reality. Over the years, they have been essential to redesigning and tweaking the model to become what it is today. They've also helped us create customized ear models for various customers which involves building their logo onto the cochlea of The Functional Inner Ear.
Thank You Vestibular First!
Husband and wife team Helena and Patrick Esmonde of Vestibular First have been utilizing 3D printing technology to create their own unique version of printed vestibular models and educational products. So when this pandemic hit, they too immediately answered the call to help protect our health care workers. Helena Esmonde, PT, DPT, NCS herself is a health care worker being a physical therapist, and understands the challenges many face. They have been collecting donations to buy the supplies needed to print and supply face shields. (https://vestibularfirst.com/product/covid-supplies-donations/)
They have also created a step-by-step guide for how to create your own face shield at home using their design and a 3D printer. Their guide has been recently integrated into The BPR app to make it widely available to manufacturers.
Find out more about their COVID-19 Response Plan here: https://vestibularfirst.com/news/covid-19-response-plan/ "We are seeking projects to support the efforts with the use of our 3D printers and fabrication facilities to assist in any way we can." So if you have any ideas of other ways they may be able to help, submit your idea using their COVID-19 Response Form.
Thank You! We're Re-Opening Our Store
There are many more individuals to thank for their efforts! It is just amazing to me how great people can be when the time comes for us to come together and step up. While every 3D printer was hard at work printing PPE, we took a break from selling models. Now that things seem to be slowing down a bit, we have decided to re-open our store. However, please note that printing/shipping times may be slower than usual. Thank you!