RENSSELAER, Ind. (WLF)- Personal Protective Masks are hard to come by these days. One company in Rensselaer designed a face mask that’s being made with 3D printers.
"We are trying to help out we are trying to do our part.,” said Ron Kasparian the owner of You'll Never Guess LLC.
You'll Never Guess LLC has been in the Rensselaer community since 2012. They specialize in 3D printing. When they saw how many people were struggling to find personal protective masks due to the COVId-19 pandemic they decided to design one of their own.
"We thought that 3D printing something that’s actually contoured to your face was the best way to create a functional mask” said Kasparian.
The masks have four parts the mask body, the filter housing, the filter retainer, and a filter wrench.
"The cost of an actual filter is and that's the reason why there aren't a lot of masks why people are trying to do sewing masks and all kinds of other stuff," added Kasparian.
The actual filters for the masks are where Ron Kasparian and his team found a cost-effective solution.
"How do we make a filter we asked ourselves,” added Kasparian. “The answer was found was cotton rounds in the makeup section."
Cotton rounds are woven and when two are put together they act as a filter similar to typical hospital masks.
"It's the same thing that they are trying to do with an actual mask,” said Kasparian. “The masks are cotton that is inverted and that's how they make a diffuser. When a particle comes through the mask actually gets stuck in the woven part of the mask."
The company has hundreds of 3D printers. Each one prints a part of the mask. One mask takes about six hours to make. The company hopes they can stop the spread of the epidemic by making masks the are reusable and affordable.
"When you talk to somebody who works in a soup kitchen that hasn't had a mask in 10 days or you talk to someone who has COPD and needs a mask because they are afraid to go to the store,” said Kasparian. “It's a very humbling experience to think that we might lead a part in actually solving part of this problem in our country."
The masks are not certified N95 masks, but the company based its design on CDC and OSHA recommendations and is working to become certified. The company is currently making around 300 masks a day to meet demands. Each mask costs around 30 dollars and can be shipped anywhere in the United States. For more information on how to purchase a mask visit, You’ll Never Guess LLC’s website.