Joanna Orban
Staff Writer
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals and other medical facilities have been facing a limited supply of crucial medical equipment, such as masks. The limited supplies have prompted people all over the world to make homemade masks. The Idaho Museum of Natural History, located on the Pocatello campus, has also started to make personal protections devices using their 3D printers.
Prior to creating medical masks, the museum’s 3D printers, located in the Idaho Virtualization Laboratory (IVL), were primarily being used to make the museum’s Fall 2020 exhibits. However, the museum has now shifted their focus solely to the production of masks and other personal protection equipment.
In order to create these masks, the 3D printers use PLA plastic, high quality furnace filters as the filter, and elastic bands or paracord for the straps. These materials are then assembled into the masks. According to Leif Tapanila, Director of the Idaho Museum of Natural History, “As it turns out a lot of the products that we are using to make this equipment, the demand has gone through the roof for things like elastic bands.” Due to the high demand, the museum is now using paracord for the straps.
At the beginning of the project, the museum had 70-75 kilograms of the PLA plastic the printers need. The museum has rapidly been working through the materials they already had and recently received a grant from the Idaho Stem Action Center to help buy more plastic and materials.
The IVL has many different printers of varying sizes. The biggest printer can complete twenty masks in just over a day, the smaller printers can create three masks in about six hours. When all printers are at working capacity the IVL will create forty masks a day. So far, the IVL has produced 447 faces masks.
In addition to the masks, the IVL is also producing face shields that resemble the protective masks used in shop classes. They’ve created 70 of these shields so far. The 3D printers are also being used to create thin plastic head straps that can be used with masks to alleviate the discomfort the elastic straps of masks cause. The IVL has created nearly 600 of these headstraps.
The museum is working with Southeast Idaho Public Health in order to distribute masks to those who need them such as first responders, local hospitals, and other healthcare facilities. Jesse Pruitt, manager of the IVL has also held fittings with campus security in order to get them outfitted with masks. There are also plans to create masks for local police departments.
According to Tapanila, near the beginning of the shutdown, Pruitt began to talk with other creators around the country and discuss what devices they could make on the 3D printers. The project has quickly grown and Tapanila has begun to reach out to other groups on campus who have 3D printers in order to get their help with the production process. According to ISU News some of the other groups involved with production include, “the Kasiska Division of Health Sciences, the ISU Health and Safety Department, the College of Science and Engineering, the College of Arts and Letters, the College of Technology, and ISU Skaggs Treasure Valley Anatomy and Physiology Laboratories in Meridian”.
Tapanila also mentioned that should people need masks they can make requests to the following email: vog.ohadi.hpisnull@tseuqer91divoc or reach out to the museum directly. “It does feel a little helpless when you are stuck at home, said Tapanila. “I’m particularly happy that we are able to play a small role.”
