He recently delivered 500 frames that are made out of thermoplastic and use transparency film that attaches to become personal protective equipment (PPE) face shields.

Woollard started working on the project in early March as soon as it became obvious that there were going to be shortages of PPE due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Woollard owns a 3D printer at home and also works in the Marion C. Early School District Information Technology Department.

“The 3D printing community was looking at ways that we could contribute,” Woollard says. “There were lots of designs out there including one from Sweden. I tweaked a design based on the Swedish version and printed several and looked at the pros and cons of each and how the transparency film could be attached.”

The final design Woollard created reduced the amount of thermoplastic used by 50% per frame, which helped to produce more face shield frames with the same amount of thermoplastic. Additionally, the frame does not need additional straps to stay in place. The transparency film is hole punched and attaches to the frame.

The completed face shield is worn on the forehead. After it is used, the transparency film can be discarded and the face shield frame can be cleaned with disinfectant and reused.

It took Woollard a couple of weeks to produce the face shield frames on his home 3D printer. The transparency film was collected from many individuals and organizations and Woollard punched the holes and delivered the face shields and transparency film to the CMH Materials Management Department this week.

"I saw the need and knew I could help out in a small way by making these face shield frames for the hospital,” Woollard says. “It was just something that I wanted to do to help.”

Woollard and his wife, Carolyn, have two sons, Noah, an eighth-grader and Jacob, a student at Missouri State University.

April 16, 2020

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