Shortly after the lockdown began, the printer was retrieved from the FuseBox and we joined a growing community of 3D printer owners and enthusiasts, called 3D Crowd UK, who had already established supply and distribution hubs across the UK.
The decision was made early on that the printers were to be used collectively in the production of "Prusa RC Face Shields" which despite not currently being approved by the NHS, have still been requested by over 1,500 NHS and other locations to date.Although unfortunately millimetres too small to print full masks, the FuseBox's printer has been tasked with producing some of the smaller components at a rate of around 6 masks per day. These parts are then sent to a distribution hub where they are carefully assembled.
The first batch of FuseBox printed parts are ready to ship and although we are finally seeing demand begin to stabilise with 124,000 masks printed nationally of the 600,000 requested, there is still a long way to go!It has been amazing to see how quickly individual 3D printer owners across the country have rallied together and contributed their time, effort and resources in order to make a real difference to those fighting the virus on the front line.