GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Many companies are forced to pivot right now during the Coronavirus pandemic, and now employees at Grand Rapids labeling business Metas are creating face shields to help with the shortage of protective gear.
The patent-pending Simple Shield gives 360-degree protection, covering the eyes and neck, shielding the wearer from air particles and droplets.
The shields come with printing on it so you can quickly line it up to assemble it with staples, and it has an headband so it won’t fall off.
Cofounder Mike Kamen says they realized it was taking too long to make face shields with their 3D printers, so with some brainstorming they decided to make a lamp shade type style that could be made cheap and quick. In fact they can print 70 per second.
It was a simple idea that hit close to home for Kamen, who has several friends in the medical field. One of them, Dr. Mustapha, recently lost a friend who is an emergency room doctor in New York due to Covid-19. Mustapha has already been able to use the shields.
“A lot of times, the issue is your neck is exposed, and these offer further down neck protection and face protection," Kamen said. "And one of the things that (Dr. Mustapha) had described to me that I didn't realize was that 30 percent of COVID patients are getting it in their eyes."
Kaman hopes local groceries stores can soon carry this product as well, and their goal is to donate 50,000 of the shields to local hospitals in the next month.
Shields start at $1.45, and if you’d like to buy or donate them, you can visit their website.
