Covid Mask

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theboz1419
Posts: 101
Joined: Sun Jul 17, 2016 1:54 am
Location: Puyallup, WA

Covid Mask

Post by theboz1419 » Mon Apr 13, 2020 1:17 am

I have to wear a mask at work for 12 hours a day and wanted something that fits and more comfortable and cleanable. So, I found a mask online to try and decided to make it with TPU. I never printed with TPU before and so I did a few searches for settings. So the only changes I made were to speed and no retraction to mu normal PETg settings. I did have some problems getting it through the extruder at first as I had PETg still in the nozzle. I also have a .20 nozzle, so that also may cause some issues, but for my first print I'm very happy with the results so far. Another 130 minutes to go until finished.
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airscapes
Posts: 594
Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2018 11:36 pm

Re: Covid Mask

Post by airscapes » Mon Apr 13, 2020 3:36 pm

a .5 nozzle would work better for TPU. I have that same part sitting on my printer made of PLA.. After that I got the sewing machine out and made 2 of these https://www.craftpassion.com/face-mask- ... sk-pattern
Plan now is to alter the pattern a little to make more room for big long noses. Other than that this is a very comfortable mask especially if you route the tie over the top of your head. Having multiple copies will let you just toss them in the washing machine and dryer.. Good luck with the mask, but having those curves at the top of the print will just give you steps and TPU can not be sanded smooth .. This was why I went to cloth..

Phil
Posts: 214
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2016 7:49 pm

Re: Covid Mask

Post by Phil » Tue Apr 14, 2020 7:09 pm

The whole 'wear a mask in public' thing is kind of funny. I see loads of people with cloth masks, constantly fiddling with them with their virus-infested fingers, which makes it worse than useless to wear. Printed masks will work well, if you use the right filter media, and do not touch and contaminate it. As for filter media, I thought this was pretty funny:
From Science News Online:
In one study, a mask that used 16 layers of handkerchief fabric was able to filter out 63 percent of 300-nanometer-sized particles. (The coronavirus is between 50 to 200 nanometers in diameter.) But that mask was harder to breathe with compared with thick, tight-fitting N95 respirators, often used in hospitals, that can block minuscule particles. Wearing a cloth mask with that many layers would be uncomfortable and may “cause some to pass out,” the researchers wrote in the letter.

airscapes
Posts: 594
Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2018 11:36 pm

Re: Covid Mask

Post by airscapes » Tue Apr 14, 2020 9:55 pm

wearing a mask in public is to keep you from coughing on people period. If you do cough on someone, the virus will still fly all over the place, but maybe not so far.. and it is only helpful if you actually have the virus.. The people with the virus are not going to wear a masks or any kind, that is why they have the virus, they are not following the rules..

theboz1419
Posts: 101
Joined: Sun Jul 17, 2016 1:54 am
Location: Puyallup, WA

Re: Covid Mask

Post by theboz1419 » Thu Apr 16, 2020 6:30 am

My first attempt printed just fine. My issue was when I had to remove it from the PEI and well it did not survive, lol. So, I put some Elmer's glue stick on the plate and restarted a print, went to bed and when I woke up had a perfect print.

Surprisingly, I have had really no issues with TPU, only when I had to get PET out of the nozzle I had feeding issues, besides that, no other issues. I do have a some retraction and I have double the speed.

I wore the mask at work, it fits fairly good especially after adding some foam. The only problem I have with the design, is it does not have an one way valve when you exhale, and the results is alot of condensation inside the mask. I have about 6 of them to print for various people.
Builder of custom wifi BBQ temperature controllers

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ednisley
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Re: Covid Mask

Post by ednisley » Thu Apr 16, 2020 12:47 pm

theboz1419 wrote:
Thu Apr 16, 2020 6:30 am
does not have an one way valve when you exhale
Which is a feature, not a bug! Your (presumably) virus-laden breath would vent directly to the open air and sprinkle droplets over everyone in the neighborhood. Definitely not the kind of mask we need right now.

Back in the day, though, we used vented N95 masks while shredding leaves and they were wonderful: turned orange on the outside, remained white on the inside, and eliminated all the usual disgusting snot:

https://softsolder.com/2011/07/02/perso ... -em-young/

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