How IMSA Students Are Helping During This Pandemic

During this quarantine, IMSA senior, Levi Raskin has decided to turn his free time into something productive in order to help the community around him. His passion for 3-D printing has helped produce face shields and ear guards to help slow the spread of COVID-19. 

When asked about what inspired him to start this 3D printing project to help healthcare workers fight COVID-19, he responded by saying “I saw a call to action put out by Jennifer Blitz at the Swedish Covenant Hospital for people with 3D printers to produce PPE for their hospital and distribution network.” Raskin has been able to send many face shields and ear guards to other rush locations and hospital/healthcare services. 

The process of 3D printing is not widely understood by the general public. Levi explains it by saying, “3D printers are simply hot glue guns attached to a computer. It’s a very precise way of melting plastic in certain locations.” Later, components under solidification, sanitation, and assembly. “The ear savers and face shields are printed and, usually, sit for 3 days, before they are further sterilized and then assembly is done by hand. The ear savers need no assembly, but the face shield requires some elastic to be cut and a piece of plastic to be 3-hole punched.”

Raskin has also started a Facebook group dedicated to supporting this cause. The volunteers that sign up for this group either help 3D print the face shields or donate to the fundraiser. He stated, “For large batch production, like we are doing here, 3D printing is enormously expensive and we are fully dependent on funds donated to us to continue this project.” Raskin has been able to help save lives while staying at home during this crisis.