TOLEDO, Ohio — People across the country have been finding ways to help slow down the Coronavirus pandemic, from making homemade hand sanitizer, to sewing face masks and donating them to hospitals.
Now, a Toledo man is turning his love of 3-D printing into a way to help.
Ryan Lawecki runs a 3-D print shop. He’s printed some pretty unique items in his free time, but now his printers are busy making face shields for medical providers at Toledo Hospital.
"I contacted Toledo Hospital and as soon as I got the okay from them I started the GoFundMe," said Ryan.
His GoFundMe, which is being used to support the cost of making the shields, didn't take long to grow.
His original goal of $500 was quickly surpassed. As of Sunday night Ryan raised almost $2,000.
It’s a level of support he never thought would happen.
"I was surprised. I only shared it to one person and from there it just took off. To see the support from the community is awesome,” said Ryan.
Each shield takes just over an hour to print.
These face shields will be used with masks and goggles to protect doctors and nurses as they care for patients.
"It feels great to help out. I'm still working for right now. I know a lot of people aren't, but I have all these here. What better to do than help out,” said Ryan.
If you have a 3D printer and want to make face shields, the 3D printer file for the face shields is an open source pattern.