To start, this journey has definitely been a “practice what you preach” moment for our team. Anyone who works with InkSmith knows that Design Thinking is at the core of all of our products and education curriculum. This journey had definitely be an exercise in Design Thinking. 
Step 1: Empathize - We empathize with the many hospitals and frontline workers who are ill-prepared when it comes to dealing with individuals who have contracted COVID-19. We understand that these individuals are putting their own health on the line to combat this pandemic.
Step 2: Define - We then had to define a problem in which we were actually able to contribute a solution. We discovered that PPE face shields was something we could manufacture using our existing tools and materials.
Step 3: Ideate - Lucky for us, Prusa recently developed a face shield that can be 3D printed and has proven successful in hospitals overseas. We are incredibly grateful for their ingenuity. prusaprinters.org/prints/25857-p…
Step 4: Prototype - In order to prototype the PPE face shield we sourced the necessary materials that would be suitable for use in a hospital. Once the design was finalized we 3D printed V1.
Step 5: Test - In order to be effective, we needed to test the ease-of-use, rigidity and durability of the shield.
Next: Iterate - After some necessary iterations we decided it would be beneficial to manufacture the PPE using a laser cutter rather than a 3D printer. 3D printers take a significant amount of time, laser cutters can cut out multiple pieces at once.
After we get approval from Canadian Doctor's we will make this laser cut file open source for anyone else who has the tools to also manufacture PPE face shields.
We'll post a full review with all open source files to our blog this week: inksmith.ca/blogs/news
We'll post a full review with all open source files to our blog this week: inksmith.ca/blogs/news
We were also lucky enough to have @CTVKitchener stop by to capture some of the action. You can catch us on the 6pm news tonight (Saturday).
Now we’re sewing elastic bands to act as a head strap. Shoutout to @fabriclandON1 for giving us a great deal on the elastic material!
We wanted to make sure the headbands are adjustable so they fit nicely for all wearers. #Covid_19
You can catch the full news segment on @CTVKitchener below! kitchener.ctvnews.ca/kitchener-comp…
Our team made sure to take a break from production to catch the segment live!
