ROCHESTER — With no one using any of the shops at Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School, its teachers realized they had an abundance of personal protective equipment, and decided to put it to good use amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

Over 164 boxes of gloves, 275 boxes of facial tissues, 4 boxes of Tyvek suits, and a large number of masks, including n95 Masks, were brought to the New Bedford Jewish Convalescent Home, St. Luke’s Hospital, Tobey Hospital, Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, and Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth.

Machine and Tool Instructor Ralph Blackburn, Electronics Engineering Instructor Dan Brush, and CAD Drafting Instructors Al Amaral and Bryan Sylvia began 3D printing visors for face shields, which help to protect those in clinics and hospitals. The four found an open source file for the visors, and started printing them. Each visor takes about four hours to print. 

The instructors then assemble the shields using paracord, transparent PVC film and an adhesive foam. Once assembled, the shields are donated to healthcare providers.