Hello! We'd like to give everyone an update as to what Roswell Firelabs has been doing to aid medical practitioners and first responders working amidst the COVID-19 health crisis.
Since the end of March, Roswell Firelabs has partnered with Atlanta Beats COVID, a collective volunteer group of Metro-Atlanta makerspaces and individuals, to assemble and distribute over 4,500 protective face shields from our facility! These shields are worn on the individual’s head and protects their face, helping limit exposure and prolonging the usability of their disposable face masks. We have also started offering DIY Face Shield “kits” outside our building for community members to assemble and return for donation to individuals in need. All of the protective gear assembled is provided to health care professionals at no cost to them.
The Firelabs is supporting this initiative with volunteers on a regular basis to the extent that we are allowed to do so, keeping within social distancing guidelines. While we receive many donated 3D printed headbands, we also have six 3D Printers running non-stop to produce them, resulting in a maximum output of around 70 completed headbands per day; fewer if a printer has mechanical issues. Our volunteers then attach these headbands to transparent plastic lenses and package the completed face shield for delivery.
So, how can you help?
Many individuals have inquired about how to support our efforts - what we currently need is funding to acquire more advanced tools – many components of this process are created using laser cutters, and being a relatively new organization (we are less than 1 year old), we haven’t yet procured this sort of equipment.
A modest goal of $2,000 would be enough for us to acquire a capable CNC laser cutter, which we would leverage to cut polycarbonate lenses for face shields, elastic strain relievers for face masks, and much more in significant volumes, more rapidly than 3D printing. Being able to perform this sort of CNC labor in-house would also allow us to assemble and distribute items with less transportation logistics, speeding up the overall process.
Raising more than $2,000, we could acquire additional 3D printers, resulting in scaled-up production of the headbands necessary for the face shields; we would also be able to procure all the necessary consumable materials needed to continue operating these printers.
Any amount you are able to contribute would aid us in continuing to provide these needed items and protective equipment – Roswell Firelabs is a Georgia Non-Profit and a 501(c)3 designated charity (EIN 82-4161665), and your donations are tax-deductible. You can submit a donation online through our website at https://www.roswellfirelabs.org/donate , or mail a check to our business address (below).
Now is a critical time for us to ensure that individuals with the need to protect themselves from exposure are able to do so. With more businesses in Georgia resuming normal operations and increased human interaction, there are still significant supply chain shortages and price hikes on disposable and reusable protective gear. We have been tirelessly committing every minute of idle time in our facility to directly supporting the people on the front lines of this health crisis, and I thank you in advance for any direct funding you can provide to aid us in this mission. Please do not hesitate to contact me directly regarding our efforts.
Sincerely,
William Strika
Executive Director, Roswell Firelabs
william@roswellfirelabs.org
1601 Holcomb Bridge Road
Roswell, GA 30076
