The Community Shield Project Wraps Up With 20,000 Total 3D Printed PPE Face Shields Donated

Summary
  • The Community Shield project will begin to wrap up production as parent company InkSmith & The Canadian Shield now have increased capacity to take over donations.
  • The project has been incredibly successful with over 20,000 shields donated as a result of 3D printed parts contributed by community members. InkSmith will be matching the Community Shield contributions by donating an additional 20,000 units from their line of reusable PPE face shields at The Canadian Shield.
  • This matching donation brings the grand total of shields donated as a result of the Community Shield project to well over 40,000 units.
  • The Community Shield project filled a massive gap in the personal protective equipment (PPE) shortage during a critical time in the fight against COVID-19.
  • InkSmith and project-partner Kwartzlab will continue to accept and distribute any donated 3D printed parts for shields that have already been printed or shipped. However, both organizations ask that makers look to other 3D printing projects in the community that need support as the official “Community Shield” project winds down production. 

The Community Shield project started as a simple call to local makers with access to a 3D printer to help InkSmith produce 3D printed parts for PPE face shields. The project, which is now thought to be one of the largest in the province — if not the country — turned into a full-scale production operation with 3D printed parts coming in from all over Canada.

The team at InkSmith and project-partner Kwartzlab have made the decision to slowly wind down the Community Shield project as InkSmith is now in a position to take over donations with the newly formed company The Canadian Shield. The Canadian Shield was formed after InkSmith designed a fully-reusable version of a face shield that could be mass-produced to meet the demand for PPE across Canada. With production now in the hundreds of thousands of shields per day, InkSmith & The Canadian Shield are now able to donate reusable shields to in-need healthcare providers who were previously receiving Community Shield donations. 

The Community Shield project has been massively successful and expanded far beyond what anyone on the InkSmith or Kwartzlab team could’ve ever imagined. What originated as a simple way to produce PPE face shields with InkSmith’s existing equipment, turned into a legitimate product sought after by healthcare professionals all over the country. By the end of May 2020, the initiative will result in more than 20,000 3D printed face shields being donated across the province. All of those donations were made possible by local makers and 3D printer owners in the community stepping up and using their resources to help. 

From individual makers to public libraries and schools boards, anyone with access to a 3D printer and who was willing to contribute joined to help with the project. The incredibly quick response from the community enabled the team at InkSmith to start rapidly producing face shields to help meet the need for PPE in local hospitals and healthcare providers. 

InkSmith and Kwartzlab will still continue to receive any 3D printed parts for shields that have already been printed or shipped (drop-off/shipping instructions here). Those parts will be cleaned, assembled and distributed as part of the last push for the Community Shield project. After the last 3D printed parts are received, InkSmith will shift its efforts over to donating The Canadian Shield which is a sanitizable shield that can be reused multiple times. 

To round out the project, InkSmith will be matching the Community Shield contributions by donating an additional 20,000 units from their line of reusable PPE face shields at The Canadian Shield. This matching donation brings the grand total of shields donated as a result of the Community Shield project to well over 40,000 units.

Although the Community Shield project may be winding down, there are hundreds of other 3D printing PPE projects taking place across the province and country. The team at InkSmith and Kwartzlab highly recommend that individuals who have been printing for the Community Shield project take a look around to see what other projects could use their support. 

Regardless of what project you’re contributing to, we think it’s safe to say that incredible things can be accomplished when we all come together as a community for a common goal. The Community Shield project has been a true testament to the innovative and caring individuals found within our own community.

The CommunityPPE Slack channel started by InkSmith at the beginning of the project will remain active and features hundreds of other 3D printer owners and makers working on a variety of other projects. If you’re interested in connecting with other community members about 3D printed PPE we highly recommend joining this online platform. 

None of what InkSmith and The Canadian Shield have accomplished today would be the same if it wasn’t for this amazing community of makers supporting us in the early days. And for that, we can’t thank you enough. 

-Kwartzlab & InkSmith
The Community Shield

By The Numbers: The Community Shield Initiative

Back to Blog