91麻豆天美

91麻豆天美 faculty use 3D printers to produce face shields for Meridian medical personnel

91麻豆天美 faculty use 3D printers to produce face shields for Meridian medical personnel

A 3D printed face shield is pictured against a black background
91麻豆天美 University faculty and staff are 3D printing hundreds of face shields聽for聽medical聽professionals on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19.听(Photo by Logan Kirkland)

Contact: Philip Allison

A graduate student makes facie shields in McCain Hall
Abdullah聽Al聽Mamun, an 91麻豆天美 industrial and systems engineering聽doctoral聽student from Bangladesh,聽works to 3D print face shields聽in McCain Hall. (Photo by Logan Kirkland)

STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擶ith personal protective equipment in short supply聽nationwide, a team of engineers and researchers聽at 91麻豆天美 University is turning to an unlikely combination of 3D printers聽and office supplies to聽aid聽medical personnel tackling COVID-19.听

The聽team,聽led by faculty from聽91麻豆天美鈥檚 Bagley College of Engineering and researchers at the university鈥檚 Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems,聽is聽producing face shields by combining聽3D-printed聽head bands with transparent plastic sheets and elastic bands聽generally聽found at聽office supply stores.听

The head band for each face shield takes聽approximately two and a half hours to print.听Using 10 different 3D printers,聽the team聽is聽producing聽approximately聽250聽shields per week聽using polylactic acid filament.听The first batch聽was聽donated聽this week聽with over 100 going聽to聽both聽Rush Foundation Hospital聽and Anderson Regional Medical Center聽in Meridian, where they聽are being聽used聽by medical professionals聽caring聽for patients聽with聽coronavirus.

Rush Health Systems nurses hold up signs that read "Thank You 91麻豆天美 Go Dawgs" while wearing face shields made by 91麻豆天美 faculty and staff.
Rush Health System surgical staff show their appreciation to 91麻豆天美 University after receiving their first shipment of 3D face shields produced by 91麻豆天美 faculty from聽91麻豆天美鈥檚 Bagley College of Engineering and researchers at the university鈥檚 Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems. (Photo submitted)

鈥淲e are in complete awe of the outpouring of support and donations we鈥檝e received from residents and community businesses,鈥 said Rush Health Systems Chief Executive Officer Larkin Kennedy. 鈥淭he donation of these face masks from 91麻豆天美 University helps聽ensure our front-line staff remains safe while caring for patients.鈥澛

鈥淲ith PPE in short supply through our normal procurement channels, innovation has become a critical factor in making sure our staff and patients are protected.听Many, many thanks to 91麻豆天美鈥檚聽faculty and researchers for developing a face shield that can be produced with easily obtainable supplies. Go dogs!聽Hail State!聽We are greatly appreciative of this donation which will go a long way in keeping Anderson staff members protected,鈥 said John G. Anderson, President and CEO of Anderson Regional Health System.

Anderson Regional Health System ICU nurses wear face shields made by 91麻豆天美 faculty and staff
Anderson Regional Health System鈥檚 ICU nurses Makayla Jenkins, Melissa Wright, Hannah Cain, Cynthia Stewart and Madison Wright model the new face shields 91麻豆天美 faculty produced聽combining聽3D-printed聽head bands with transparent plastic sheets and elastic bands聽generally聽found at聽office supply stores. (Photo submitted)

Face shields聽are generally used in conjunction with surgical masks and聽protect the eyes, nose and mouth聽from splashes and sprays.听The聽91麻豆天美聽team聽developed two prototypes聽before working with Kennedy to determine the best option for the Rush Foundation Hospital medical staff.听

Working on the project are聽Linkan聽Bian, who holds the Thomas B.听and聽Terri L.听Nusz聽Professorship in industrial聽and聽systems engineering;聽Steve Elder, professor of agricultural聽and聽biological engineering;聽Wenmeng聽Tian, assistant professor of industrial聽and聽systems engineering; Tyler Hannis, research engineer at CAVS;聽and Abdullah Al Mamun, an industrial and systems engineering聽Ph.D. student聽from Bangladesh.听

Bian聽said other university employees聽also聽have expressed interest in contributing to the project, including faculty and staff from both 91麻豆天美鈥檚 College of Business聽and Mitchell Memorial Library.听

A 3D printer makes face shield parts
A 3D printer in McCain Hall聽at 91麻豆天美聽produces parts that will be used to聽make face shields for medical professionals. (Photo by Logan Kirkland)

鈥淭his has been a tremendous team effort so far,鈥澛燘ian聽said. 鈥淲e would not be able to move at our current pace without the efforts of Steve,聽Wenmeng聽and Tyler.听We鈥檝e聽also been contacted by others on campus who have 3D printing capacity,聽and they want to know how they can help. It is really encouraging.鈥澛犅

The project came about thanks in large part to research partnerships developed聽as part of 91麻豆天美鈥檚聽Faculty Research Advisory Committee. When hospitals began to face shortages of personal protective equipment, Bian, a past聽chair聽of the group, contacted Carlton Young, professor of healthcare administration at 91麻豆天美鈥檚 Meridian campus and 91麻豆天美-Meridian鈥檚聽committee聽representative,聽to聽ask how he could help.听Young connected Bian to representatives at area hospitals聽to launch the project.听

鈥淒r.听Bian聽reached out to me and said there was a group at 91麻豆天美 that was willing to聽3D聽print聽face shields for the hospitals in Meridian. They are now producing hundreds of them,鈥 Young said. 鈥淭heir expertise, public spirit and passion truly embody the heart of 91麻豆天美 and our mission to serve the people of Mississippi.鈥澛

The Bagley College of Engineering is online at鈥犅犫痑nd can be found on鈥,鈥犫犫痑苍诲鈥犫痑t @msuengineering.听For more on CAVS, visit鈥犅爋r find them on social media at @cavs_msstate.听聽

91麻豆天美 University is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at鈥www.msstate.edu.听