BANGOR, Maine — A 6th grader in Bangor has made a big switch. Instead of using his 3D printer to make toys, Brady Quirk is now making medical face masks to help during the coronavirus, COVID-19 spread!
These masks are ones where you can change the air filter after each use.
Even though it takes the 12-year-old 4 hours to make only one, Brady says it makes him happy to help people in his community.
"I started printing them and then I kept going on because I wanted to see if people would like them and see if they would fit," said Quirk.
"Well my dad had a friend in Kentucky that was stuck there because he was helping people with coronavirus and treating that, so he reached out and sent me a couple of links to a couple of websites to 3D print some masks," said Brady.
Brady is using makethemasks.com to craft the Montana Mask at home.
On this website, you can find the files for 3D printing these masks if you own a 3D printer at home and want to make some to give out to people that might need one.
It takes him 4 hours to make one mask, so far Brady has made 20 of them.
Social Distancing Video
The FDA does not approve 3D printed masks to be used in hospitals, but Brady is happy to help people stay safe when running errands or leaving their homes for other reasons.
Homemade Personal Protection Equipment for medical professionals has to be tested before used by a healthcare worker in a hospital.
"To make sure that if somebody was creating something that we would use for our own healthcare providers..that we felt that it met a standard that would offer the protection that is required for our healthcare providers to keep them safe," said Dr. James Jarvis from Maine Medical Health.
Evan James was Quirk's after school 3D printing club teacher and is also a Biology High School teacher at Bangor High. He says they do a lot of integrated 3D printing projects in the curriculum that work on real world solutions.
"So that really the underpinning...engagement with students for innovation and solutions utilizing this 3D printing technology," said James.
Nowadays he is making face shields and giving them out to the Challenger Learning Center of Maine and the Perloff Family Foundation, who are giving out the face shields to St. Joseph's Hospital in Bangor.
"The Challenger Center and the Perloff Family Foundation are working closely with St. Joe's Hospital...so there is a huge demand there," said James.
At NEWS CENTER Maine, we're focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the illness. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: /coronavirus
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