Columbia residents print face shields for first responders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia residents are working together to provide face shields for first responders, nursing homes and others during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sixteen-year-old Konnar Jones and Craig Adams have put together their skills with 3D printers to make the shields and delivered the first 100 on Monday to the Columbia Police Department. Now they have 26 other people in the surrounding communities helping with Project Face Shield.

The two started working together using 3D printers when Jones was in fifth grade. His teacher at the time asked Adams if he had a printer Jones could use.

"I was like, 'Yes! A 3D printing partner? Heck yes,'" Adams said.

Adams started to make masks using his 3D printer and then Jones decided to help.

"We started printing these masks and Konnar came up with a better one, you know, this Montana mask . It was like this dentist in Montana created this mask and it's like, 'Wow that's really cool.' Well Konnar actually made an improvement," Adams said.

They then found out there was a need for face shields and decided to start making them. They have printed 1,000 shields as of Tuesday. They have a goal of printing 15,000.

"We saw there was a need for it," Jones said. "We just knew, just watching the news you see everywhere is running out of N95 masks and other (personal protective equipment) for hospitals and first responders and whatnot, so we kind of knew we needed to do something about it."

Jones said the face shields protect first responders and health care workers when they are coming into close contact with people.

Jones is making around 100 face shields per week by himself. A number of people in surrounding communities have offered to use their own 3D printers to help print the shields.

Adams works for the Columbia Stem Alliance, which is providing a majority of the funding for the project. The group is spending $60,000 on the project.

The shields were tested at the Columbia Fire Department. The Boone County Office of Emergency Management is delivering the face shields to first responder agencies that request them.

Adams and Jones said anyone can help, even if they do not have a 3D printer.

"We have a lot of different things that need worked on," he said. "Just gathering materials, there's some of the materials that we have that are really, really hard to get. Like the clear plastic for the face shields, we're going to be out of that pretty soon."

A number of people have already stepped up to donate supplies or money. One woman sold art as a sort of fundraiser and donated $310 to the project Tuesday.

Adams said they're taking donations at comofaceshield.com.

Now, they are going to begin making other face shields that can be produced much more quickly on top of the face shields they have been making.

"We're just going to make them until we need to stop. Until somebody's like, 'Hey, we don't need these anymore.' We'll do it," Jones said.