One student at Owensboro Innovation Academy is using his knowledge with 3D printing to give back and help others stay safe. Samuel Ling, a senior at OIA, has been using the printer to create adjustable straps for cloth face masks.
Ling noticed people on Instagram using 3D printers to create these accessories for personal protective equipment, and he was inspired by seeing people from all over the world coming together for a unified purpose.
It didn’t take long for Ling to realize there was a need for mask straps in Owensboro. Using the training and education he’d received at OIA, Ling decided his skill with 3D printing could be put to good use.
“I wouldn’t be dishing them out without OIA,” he said. “I learned some on my own, but most of the skills it takes to 3D print came from what I learned at school.”
To create the straps, Ling transfers a Thingiverse file to an SD card and inserts it into the 3D printer, which then prints the object. Ling said the process is fairly simple and that the average person would only need a few hours to learn how to do it.
The adjustable straps contain hooks that connect to loops on the masks, allowing those who use them to loosen or tighten as necessary for a comfortable fit. The strap goes across the back of one’s head rather than looping behind the ears.
“One of our neighbors went to work for one week at the Women’s Pavilion and had a strap cutting into her ear, rubbing it raw,” he said.
Ling can create up to six straps in an 90-minute period, he said.
As one of many seniors facing a somewhat anticlimactic ending to a school year rocked by COVID-19, Ling said he’s been mostly accepting of the changes and uncertainty put upon him.
While Ling said he’s not quite sure what he wants to do with his future, he plans on continuing his education at Owensboro Community & Technical College and getting his degree in computerized manufacturing machines.
For now, he said he’ll continue 3D printing straps for face masks until there’s no longer a need for them.
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