



Amid the COVID-19 outbreak health care workers across the country are dealing with a shortage of personal protective equipment, including N95 face masks. But thanks to several local businesses Savannah area workers are being covered.

“At this point I think we’ve produced more than can be (hand) sewn,” said Jon Dedic, director of engineering and project management for Coastal Canvas Products.

Dedic said he owns a 3-D printer and a friend who works as a physician assistant initially approached him to inquire about using the printer to make masks. However, the printer produces only plastic parts, leading him to look for an alternative -- Coastal Canvas.

“Because I work in the textile industry I knew we had equipment here at Coastal Canvas that could handle manufacturing masks, so I asked the owners and they approved it,” he said.

Dedic got to work researching what type of material would be needed to manufacture the masks for proper filtration. He reached out to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the the Food and Drug Administration.

He eventually found studies detailing the use of cotton masks and came across a few local groups who were making fabric masks for local health care workers.

“Instead of trying to figure out how to fabricate a mask from scratch and start doing that here because we’re more set up for industrial products, we decided to partner up with some of the networks of seamstresses that were putting these masks together,” Dedic said.

Coastal Canvas partnered with Abode Studios and Deb-Bee’s Creations in Statesboro to enlist a large group of volunteers to sew the masks once they’re cut out. Using a CNC (computer numerical control) vacuum table, Coastal Canvas is able to cut 1,000 parts in about 15 to 20 minutes, Dedic said.

It takes four pieces to make one mask, so one run of the machine results in about 250 masks.

Because the masks aren’t certified and haven’t been tested they’re not being put into the supply chain. Instead, they are being distributed to individuals who work in the local medical industry in non-critical situations, Dedic said.

“I’m glad that we could be a piece of the puzzle and help with our specialization and take out that very time-consuming part of mask production,” he said.

“I hope they help and have an influence.”