Winnipeg 3D printer hobbyists and businesses have banded together to manufacture personal protective equipment (PPE) free of charge for health-care workers and other people on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The group of about 75 volunteers — Winnipeg Fighting COVID — started up about two-and-a-half weeks ago, its operations coordinator Nick Burley said.
In the time since, the volunteers have crafted and donated about 3,000 ear protectors with 110 3D printers — the ear protectors are hooked on to the straps of surgical masks to relieve pressure on the wearer’s ears. “A lot of people working 12, 16 hour days with these masks on their face are running into a lot of issues — chafing, blistering, wounds on the back of their ears,”