STOCKTON ― Students in the Stockton Unified School District saw a need and wanted to help.

Under direction from David Jimenez, who teaches engineering and architecture with a focus on additive manufacturing at Chavez High School, students concerned about the shortage of personal protective equipment are helping manufacture protective face shields with the aid of three-dimensional printers for the medical community and first responders on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic.

The portion of the shield that is 3D-printed is polyactide made of corn that biodegrades in about 100 years compared to plastic, which never fully degrades. The shields also repurpose overhead projector sheet plastic transparencies. To secure the shields, rubber bands are used because they are more available, easier to cut to size, easier to clean and dry faster after being sanitized than elastic.

“The shield covers from the forehead to below the chin,” said Jimenez, whose background is in mathematics and physics and who is in his second year teaching at Chavez High and his first leading the engineering program.

Jimenez and the students manufactured about 60 masks at first. But after consulting with a doctor and other health care professionals, they altered the design so the shield could block any kind of spray that would come from a person's mouth. COVID-19, the new novel coronavirus, is transmitted primarily through droplets generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose.

Jimenez and the students went back to the drawing board and the second iteration of masks began Thursday.

The students and Jimenez have had to adjust amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced schools to close. Jimenez holds virtual meetings with his engineering students and has access currently to two 3D printers at his home.

It takes about three hours to make the plastic frames and about five minutes to assemble each shield. Jimenez can manufacture about 20 shields per day by himself, but could make more if his students could help him on campus.

Jimenez said the students were sad when the school closed because they were excited to continue working on the project.

“I told them to continue to do what they could at home and I would print at my house,” Jimenez said.

So, the students currently are doing the leg work with the project, speaking with the health care community and teachers who were doctors to find out what needs there are in the community. The students take the feedback and produce 3D models that Jimenez can print.

The San Joaquin County Office of Education's science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) program also is involved, so the effort is inclusive within the district. Nathan Haley is the STEM coordinator. Also participating are teachers David Tayco from Franklin High, Irene Hill from Edison High, Eric Saragoza from Merlot Institute, Austin McLeod from Pacific Law Academy, and Rachael Navarrete, who teaches robotics at Chavez High.

Jimenez said plans are to transition from face shields to manufacturing N95 respiratory masks.

Jimenez and his students' creativity isn't limited to PPE. Chavez High has a thriving performing arts program. Finding parts to repair the school's musical instruments became an issue.

“We had to order out for parts, so David figured out how to print the parts,” Chavez High Principal Sherry Jackson said. “We can make them in-house and turn them around.”

The engineering students reverse engineer parts that Jimenez can manufacture with a 3D printer for the school's musical instrument repair class taught by Aaron Moss.

“The whole thing is David is just really innovative,” Jackson said. “He's super collaborative and creative.”

Jimenez said he strives to involve his students, so they gain valuable skills they can take into the real world.

“I try not to take over the whole thing,” he said. “I want them to take ownership and help the community.”

Contact reporter Bob Highfill at (209) 546-8277 or jhighfill@recordnet.com. Follow him on Twitter @bobhighfill.