When Supt. Andrew Pulver took over as Superintendent of the Los Alamitos Unified School District, he changed the motto of the system to “Better Together.”
An Oak Middle School Science, Engineering and computer science teachers says he took the motto to heart as he has designed a wearable protective face shield that can be printed from a 3-D printer.
“I’ve been looking around the world at the best designs and used the elements from each one to create my own,” Schiele said this week. Schiele said he’s even received input from his middle school students during his online classes with them.
Schiele is no stranger to innovation, working very closely with the STEAM program (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) for years. He’s even put together his own 1800 square foot “design center” on Oak’s campus where students can use lasers and other high-tech tools to make their own creations.
“Better together is our school system motto, so I thought what a better way to highlight that than using my own expertise to help others,” he said. “Given the sacrifices so many in the district are making to help others,” said Schiele, “I wanted to make something for good.”
The local teacher said he began his work using a popular face shield model designed in the Czech Republic and “used it to model my own.”
Once designed, he was able to print the device on 3-D printers he has at home and in the classroom. Using outdated sheets of transparent material once used by teachers, Schiele used a 3-hole punch to attach them as the shield to the mask.
Photo by Wishing You Happiness
“The visor and forehead pieces are 3-D printed,” he said. The visor also includes a strip of non latex rubber that sits between the device and the wearer’s head. Using a series of straps and rubber bands, the face shields were made with the transparencies no longer being used, said Schiele.
Schiele said it took plenty of testing to determine how many times it could be taken on and off without breaking. Tested, donning and doffing, putting it on and off. He even referred to the medical specs issued by the National Institutes for Health for medical grade protectors, then did his computer aided design work.
“Face shields are an additional layer of protection, he said, “often prolonging the life of N95 face masks, keeping airborne fluids and aerosols out of one’s face and it is a constant reminder to not touch your own face,” said Schiele.
“On a good day, I can produce about 15 face shields,” he added. Each one takes about three hours to print and only about one minute to assemble once the apparatus comes out of the printer, he said. He delivered his first batch to the Los Alamitos school district employees distributing food on “Grab and Go” food lines April 3.
“With the support of our district administration, once our local need has been met, I hope to continue making more masks for our local businesses and medical professionals. Some nurses have already reached out to ask for them,” he said.
He has now put his model on display for anyone, including his students, with access to a 3-D printer, to make them. “We all have to do our part,” he said. “It’s an honor to be a part of the solution and it really highlights our district motto of Better Together,” he said.