Print on demand in the fight against corona

Institute of Polymer Technology produces films and brackets for face shields made of bioplastics [ Picture: Alexander Geyer] In mid March there was a sudden run on masks and visors, as people sought to minimize the risk of infection by coronavirus. It quickly became hard to find them on the market. Thanks to their technical infrastructure however, institutes and facilities at the University of Stuttgart were able to bypass the shortages and supply local facilities. The Institute of Polymer Technology (IKT) at the University of Stuttgart soon sprang into action putting its expertise in extrusion and 3D printing to good use by producing visor films, as well as complete face shields. Around 700 meters of film, 300 millimeters wide and 0.6 millimeters thick rolled off the roughly seven meter long production line ("extrusion line") at the IKT. This was in addition to another 150 meters of film, likewise with a width of 300 millimeters but with a thickness of 0.25 millimeters. One meter of film produced three face shields, meaning that film for roughly 360 film face shields could be produced per hour.