With 3D printers running around the clock in the basement of his Metuchen home, Oscar Valera has found a way to do his part in the battle against the coronavirus.

Alongside teaching students remotely as a Kearny High School ESL teacher, Valera has been making face shields for essential health care workers.

And the face shields are free; he refuses to charge or take payment.

"I want to make sure that anyone who wants one gets one," Valera said. "I just couldn't stand by knowing I could do something to help out. In good faith I can't accept money for something that is helping people that are literally putting their lives on the line. I just can't."

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For about three years, Valera has been running a side 3D printing business, PrintNPlay3D, out of his basement.

His wife Nicole, a fourth-grade teacher at Metuchen’s Campbell Elementary School, said he was the guy who had everything. So when the holidays came around a few years ago, she bought him something he normally wouldn't get himself.

"I thought it would collect dust," Nicole said of the printer she bought for her husband,

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PrintNPlay3D is on hold for now.

"Right now, I shut down the Etsy store so I can focus on this – on making the face shields," said Valera, who also gets 3D printer help from mom, Maria Valera, 83, and son, Lucas Valera, 13. "I can knock out about 40 or 50 a day."

Valera found the design he is using from a YouTube video.

"I was keeping track of COVID-19 since January, and my kids (students) would ask me about it and I wanted to be well-informed," he said. "In my reading, I saw people making shields and masks in other countries. It kept breaking my heart that people were using bandanas or folded up coffee filters. I saw a picture of a lady using sheet protectors from her son's book report to cover her face. It shouldn't be like this."

The 3D printer builds the visor, and a piece of clear plastic, like the kind used for overhead projectors, becomes the shield. A three-hole punch with a spacer makes holes to attach to notches on the visor.

Valera shared his project on the "We Love Metuchen" Facebook page last weekend, asking people to share what’s doing with those who may be in need.

The response was huge. "It blew up like hotcakes," he said.

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Within a few hours, Valera said he had orders from staff at JFK Medical Center, St. Peter's University Hospital, and several others, as well as individuals, physician offices and more.

Some of his shields are heading to Washington, D.C., Chicago, Miami, Virginia and Texas. Some are for people like senior citizens or grandparents of newborns who would like them for "peace of mind."

Each face shield takes about an hour and 15 minutes to make; a time frame Valera hopes to shorten to an hour. He started the project Friday, completed 150 over the weekend and by Monday, had several packages ready for pickup.

"The first one I gave out was to a doctor from Staten Island," Valera said. "He drove out here. The gratitude on his face — it made everything worth it. He was so emotional and said, 'You are relieving stress and anxiety that I have.' I have to keep doing this."

Valera said his shields are very light, can be cleaned very easily, and reused.

"These in combination with a mask can greatly reduce the possibility of infection to people that are facing this pandemic head-on," he said.

Valera said most people are doing a porch pick-up, but if the shields are needed out of town, he can mail them out for the price of the postage. He is happy to work out any arrangement that would work best for those in need.

"I will continue to make these as long as people need them," Valera said. "Coming together at a time like this is what will help us heal slowly but surely."

He’s hoping other 3D printer owners will join his mission.

"Even if they have one printer, they can make these," Valera said. "Nurses have told me that I'm saving lives. That hasn't hit me yet. They are risking their lives. I'm here pushing buttons."

Valera said he’s had inquiries about people wanting to donate to the cause. He set up an Amazon Wish List so people could purchase materials to make more shields.

As for his day job, Valera said it's more than about academics. Like he did face-to-face in the classroom, he's hosting virtual social clubs for his students to connect to each other and him.

"I really miss my kids," he said. "I tell people I have 85 kids and they look at me like I am crazy. I tell them, I have one son, one dog and a bunch of students that I love. After 20 years, I still love my job. And I am trying to make the best out of any situation."

To donate to Valera's face shield project, order from his Amazon Wish List. His Etsy shop is at www.etsy.com/shop/printnplay3d.

Email: cmakin@gannettnj.com

Cheryl Makin is an award-winning reporter for MyCentralJersey.com. To get unlimited access to her award-winning work, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.