Face Shield Making
Face Shield is one of the Personal Protective Equipment
(PPE). Face shield protects from unwanted substances like dust and airborne
particles. It is used by Health care workers, front office personal, security
persons and medical professionals.
As the social distancing guidelines are there so the wearing of face shields is useful in current times. The face shield covers the Mouth, Eyes, Neck, and Ears. The face coverings are very much needed as prevention of spreading of disease. However, the main thing is to maintain social distance, washing hands regularly, and using masks or shields for protection.
The face masks are also used for protection but it only
covers the mouth. Whereas the face shields protect the whole face from head to
chin. The face shields protect the touching of your face also which is not
possible with the use of face masks.
Face shields are made from plastic sheets PET, PETG, or OHP.
Face shields are more comfortable to wear, convenient, and
reusable. Face shields can be clean
easily with water, soap, and disinfectants. The design of the face shield
should protect the person from spray and splatter. There is a protective film
placed which should be removed before using the face.
There are different face shields for adults and children.
Used for daily protection and It should cover the full face.
This article is for providing basic details of face shield
making such as raw materials, manufacturing process, machinery required and
features.
Features of Face shield
- Anti-fog face shield - It is made of anti-fog PET (polyethylene terephthalate) which helps to prevent the fog from your sight.
- Comfortable use – the shield is provided with a soft sponge that provides the extra comfort for use for a long duration. The elastic band is provided for a change in size.
- Anti-spit
- The face shield is reusable, durable and affordable
- Comfortable sponge
- Anti-static
- Lightweight materials used
- Transparency
- Proper elasticity
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| Image source - freepik.com |
Materials required for making face shield
There are various types of main materials by which the face
shield can be manufactured such as PET, acrylic, OHP, Polycarbonate, PETA, and
PETG. the most film used in making face shield is between 150 to 300 microns.
Face Shields are the moisture-resistant polyester film which
are different types of sheets available. Make sure that the face shield
provides good visibility to the wearer. The face shield can be made from
minimum parts also which are easy to assemble.
- PET sheets – the transparent PET plastic sheet or film are used as the main material for making a shield. It is having both side masking. The rates for PET sheets are depending upon the thickness.
- OHP sheets – it can be also used in making of the face shield. The size used generally is A4 for 1 face shield. The rates of the OHP sheet is around Rs 3.5 to 5 per sheet of size A4. It is available from 175 to 350 micros.
- Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol (PETG) sheet can be used. The rates are around Rs 35 per square feet of thickness 2mm.
- Transparent Polycarbonate Sheets are used. They are available at Rs 380 per 6 ft sheet.
Forehead Band can be also manufactured using the PET sheets
having a thickness of 0.50 mm. the size for the band is 25 mm x 365 mm x 25 mm.
Silicone strap (latex-free) is used with a thickness between
1.4 – 1.6 mm.
PU foam – Resilient Polyurethane Foam Strip is used to
provide comfort in the face shield. Size is 1"x1/2" strip 10”. it may available in sheet and bar 30mm
soft PU
Woven elastic – 25 mm with plastic buttoning.
Elastic band- the elastic bands are provided for a
comfortable fit. The size is 25,30, 35 cm for face shield with plastic buttoning. 3/8" or 1/2" wide elastic band
16".
Foam board – the size of the foam board in 8 Ft x 4 Ft. it is
used in making headgears. it will
produce 240 headgears. It should be a comfort form.
Foam sticker- foam sticker is used in the face shield. 1000
face shield can be manufactured from 6 Ft x 1 Ft.
Rivet is used for supporting the film and headband. They are
available in plastic rivets.
Other materials used in making face shield are Double Side
tape, Front Sticker, Adhesive Labels, Plastic Eyelets, and Snap Fasteners.
Process of making Face shield
You can start making face shields in two ways one is
purchasing readymade materials like headband, face sheet, and foam or make the
face shield from starting purchasing and assembling the materials.
Also, you can start making a face shield at your home by
purchasing the readymade materials and joining to form the face shield.
The PET sheets are used for the screen in which the hook of
the headband is attached to the holes in the sheet. The elastic band is provided
for the size change according to the use. The elastic band should firmly attach
to the head and fit against the forehead.
Steps
- Plastic Sheets Cutting
The face shield and headband should be cut according to the
required size from the PET, OHP, or PETG sheets using various processes. Laser
cutting machines are used for cutting the sheets. Also, drag knife,
die-cutting, and CNC punch are the potential methods for the manufacturing and
cutting process of face shields.
- Face Shield Fabrication
The double side adhesive is used to fix the top of the
transparency film. The tape is fixed to the plastic film to form a tight seal.
Cut the different holes in the film so that the straps can be fully adjustable
for all head sizes. Attaching OHP punch holes sides. The foam sheet 8.5” x 11”
is used to attached to the sheet.
- Elastic Band
The dots or holes are made in the headband to hold the
sheets. stick elastic band to headband.
The elastic band is cut according to dimensions. Make a knot
of the elastic band at one end and pass through both side holes in the sheet
film. There should be 2.5 cm space after the knot end.
- Attach Headband
Now the headband is attached on the inside of the shield
through the elastic loop on one end. Headband knot to plastic band.
The hanger strap is used with the holes done according to
the headband. The strap is placed on the long edge of the plastic cover. Start
overlap the plastic cover with the dots place on the headband. Repeat for the
other size. Peel comfort form and attached to the headband. Head strap attached
to the headband. The visor sheet attached in front of the headband holes.
- Packing
The face shield is packed in protective films or bags to
prevent scratching. The proper packaging is needed for transport. The paper
should be kept for separating the shields.
After the above process is complete Testing is to be done on
various random samples for any defects such as scratches or any fitting issues
in the face shield.
Sanitize and disinfect the shields before packaging and dispatching. The sterile process is also to be done.
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Machinery available for making face shield
For the cutting of PET or plastic sheets film, Flatbed Laser
Cutting automatic machines can be used for higher accuracy and high production.
This machine can process 150 – 400 microns.
In the laser cutting process, the sheets are cut according to the dimension provided. The next sheets are loaded automatically into the machines. It takes around 25 seconds to cut 1 sheet. 1000 face shields can be manufacture per day in this laser-cut machines.
The foam can be processed using the Waterjet cutting
machine.
You can purchase the machines and raw materials from various
online sites such as Indiamart, Alibaba, and trade India.
You can also purchase frames with elastic provided readymade
from the manufactures and start directly making of face shields.
Thickness of front face film – 0.2 mm
Width of face shield- 11.50 inches
Height of face shield – 8.25 inches
Note –
- The manufacturing process involves the use of professional’s people only as it involves the safety risks to the machine’s operators. Proper handling of the machine equipment should be taking care of. The use of face masks and nitrile gloves is made during the fabrication or packaging process.
- The proper take should be place to sanitize your workspace and raw materials storage. Proper contamination should be done. Cleaning and hygiene of materials should be there. For machine tools, the alcohol should be used for cleaning of the tools.
- The face shields should cover the whole face i.e. nose, cheeks, and mouth, no gap between the forehead and shield headpiece. For every person, different shields should be used and keep separately. It should not be shared with any other person.
- Take proper care in the key dimensions of the manufacturing drawings as there is less tolerance in the making of face shields.
- Sanitizer and disinfect spray the face shield before packaging.
- The price of the Face shield starts from Rs 35 to 200 depending upon the size, brand, material, and other features. The Price of the common face shield is Rs 35. The dimensions of the face shield are 14.77 x 11.26 Inch – 37.52x 28.61 cm.
Final Thought
As the demands will be higher for face shields, you can
start making of face shields by purchasing readymade materials like headband,
elastic strap, and PET sheet pre-cut.
The face shield can be benefited for hospital staff who are
wearing for protection for a full day.
You can also start manufacturing children's face shields
which are small in size and with extra comfort features. You can also start printing face shield at
homes using 3D printers. It is easy to use and design according to the
requirements.
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