Perthshire teacher designs and produces PPE for hundreds of key workers in one weekend

After hearing of the difficulties faced by key workers across the country in accessing and using face masks and other PPE, Craig Wiles, Head of Design & Technology at Strathallan School, decided to take matters into his own hands. He and a team of dedicated (and socially-distanced) volunteers, over the course of one weekend, have designed and manufactured equipment for over a hundred key workers across Tayside. 

The making of full face masks is a project that has been taken up by many schools and education providers with the equipment and resources to run their own production lines, but Craig took things a step further when he heard of the pain medical staff are experiencing from wearing over-ear fabric masks for up to 12 hours a day. 

He said: “It’s been so great to see schools and businesses joining the cause to produce these full-face masks that are proving to be in such short supply, so when I heard from a friend about the doctors and nurses who are suffering pain and blistering from wearing fabric masks for extended periods, I knew there must be something we could do to help. Having found designs for 3D printed Ear Guards, I realised there must be a simpler and more accessible way to produce these for even those without a 3D printer, which is when I came up with the idea for a laser-cut design. These can be produced at home – you don’t need a laser to cut them out, and you can use any sort of flexible plastic, like a thoroughly-washed milk carton, to cut out your own to support key workers where you are.”

Craig’s team used Strathallan’s equipment to produce over 100 full face masks on Saturday, which are already making their way to nurses, doctors and emergency service workers across Tayside, and 100 Ear Guards on Sunday. Plans are in place to continue production during the remainder of the school’s Easter holidays, with a call for local businesses to get in touch if they are able to donate any useable materials, including Transparent Flexible Polypropylene Sheets (800mm x 1200 mm x 0.5 mm) and Clear Acetate (200 Micron, A4 Clear)

The template for Craig’s design is publicly available for anyone to download from here.

Those with laser cutters can download the .DXF designs from here: https://buff.ly/3aLa7C4