KUALA LUMPUR: Armed with 3D printing machines, Intel Malaysia employees designed and printed protective face shields to help the country’s medical frontliners cope with the shortage of the equipment when handling Covid-19 patients.
According to Intel, its employees Loh Wei Keat and David Ting shared notes and sourced the design blueprint from local makers to print protective face shields using their personal 3D printers.
“The duo have been able to 3D print around 40 to 50 protective face shields a day using their 3D printers at home,” it said in a statement today. Loh is a site manager with the company while David is Intel’s field application manager.
So far, both of them have handed over close to 500 face shields to the Penang Science Cluster (PSC), a science-first non-profit that works with the Penang government and local hospital network, to ensure these much-needed personal protective equipment (PPE) items reach the frontliners, it said.
Loh said each face shield took between 22 minutes and an hour to be printed and they have a distinct advantage over existing commercial designs.
“The 3D-printed frame can be sterilised and reused, which reduces waste. And it’s also cheaper and relatively less complicated to use, versus the foam types,” he said.
At the corporate level, Intel Malaysia said it has committed to donating over RM2 mil to purchase test kits, ventilators, patient monitors and air purifiers for general hospitals in Penang and Kedah as well as to support other Malaysian government agencies via the American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce’s #MYAMCHAMCares program.
“Part of this RM2 mil is being donated to PSC to enable the move to high volume injection moulding that will help them make 2,000 face shields a day to be provided free to all six General Hospitals and 40 medical clinics in Penang and other northern states as well,” it added. April 7, 2020, Bernama
