A team of our school students and alumni has taken the initiative to contribute in their own way in facing the crisis that the virus SARS-COV-2 has caused. The group consists of Aggelopoulos Dionysios (B? Class), Karaoglanis Christos (C? Class), Margaritis Christos (C? Class), Papadopoulos Panagiotis (2019 alumnus and current university student) and Tsakonas Georgios (2019 alumnus and current university student).
These last days there is an increasing lack of basic safety equipment in the hospitals around the world. After some relevant research, the team designed safety equipment for the hospital staff, which does not demand specialised industrial equipment for its production.
The equipment of personal protection, whose designs have already been published on the team website (andromeda-engineering.com), are goggles for eye protection and a face shield. This equipment is almost totally printed with a 3D printer.
One of the objectives is that these tools consist of as few parts as possible, so that the final assembling is realised quickly and easily. Another objective is the short time of the parts? production that demands 3D printing. More precisely, the face shield is printed very quickly, in about 3.5 hours.
The team also studies the possibility of creation of an artificial printing ?line? of more parts in a row during the same printing, so that their production becomes easier. Regarding the production material, the first samples changed the initial material choice for the goggles from PLA to TPU, which is flexible and offers better insulation, while it adjusts more easily on the face. The team has already printed the prototypes of both protective accessories, which seem satisfactory, so that the design of the rest of the parts proceeds (plexiglass και elastic thread).
Along with the successful completion of the first stage of the designs, the searching for sponsors of materials for the prototypes has also started. Furthermore, the team members are in contact with hospitals, the Ministry of Health, NPHO and the Ministry of Civil Protection, aiming at achieving a more effective connection between the interested institutions.
The Headmaster