16-year-old UTC student, Jonty Horn, has responded to
requests for Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for frontline NHS staff by
utilising 3D printing to manufacture face shields in his own home.
Jonty has studied a STEM based curriculum of GCSEs at Lincoln UTC, a specialist college for science and engineering, for the past two years. The current nationwide shortage of PPE prompted the Year 11 student to put his engineering skills into practise by finding a solution to the problem.
Initially Jonty accessed files to create the shields using Creality 3D printing technology and produced his first prototypes, a lightweight and heavy-duty version of the clear protective face shield. He then approached Lincoln County Hospital, St Barnabas Hospice and his local doctor’s surgery to offer the shields to their staff free of charge.
Jonty said: “Having experience with 3D printing and seeing the current challenges faced by the NHS I decided now would be an ideal time to help them by aiding in the production of face masks for COVID-19 PPE.
Once I explained that there was absolutely no cost to them, the nurses were overjoyed! They asked me to continue production of the heavy-duty version and I started straight away.”
Jonty’s father, Chris Horn, Service Engineer for Ceratizit UK & Ireland’s Tool-o-Mat said: “3D printing the holder for the plastic face shield takes around two hours on Jonty’s Creality printer so we can only make so many.
However, the beauty of 3D printing is that the files can be shared so easily, and if more people with access to 3D printing get involved we can really make a difference for our key workers in the NHS in the fight against Coronavirus.”
John Morrison, Principal of Lincoln UTC said: “It’s fantastic to see one our students taking the initiative and using his experience in engineering to help others in a time of crisis. Lincoln UTC fosters innovation and I am so proud to see Jonty using his technical skills and enterprising spirit for such a worthwhile cause.”
