Selling some face shields  

RE: Selling some face shields

I recommend signing up on the Masks for Docs slack channel. There you can find local groups coordinating efforts. You may find someone willing to donate/share filament with you in exchange for printing capacity so you can donate your time. Most groups are volunteering time and materials, so you probably won't find a lot of enthusiasm for selling what so many people are feverishly printing to donate to hospitals for free. The shields won't be of much use outside a hospital unless you follow strict disinfection protocols.

RE: Selling some face shields

Thumbs down on this.

You will SELL a mask to an elderly person?  Possibly a member of your family?  You sound like a real sweetheart.  I can imagine your profits will soar if you manage to strike a deal with Masks for Docs.  Good luck with your capitalism over compassion.

RE: Selling some face shields

@rob-w5

Hey  before you jump on someone and be all high and mighty.  How about you actually read what they wrote.

He was asked about selling them.
He is asking if it is legal or problematic.

finally!  

He stated he’s trying to help doesn’t have much material or funds and only is interested in order to buy more filament to help others.

ie: not everyone has filament to spare or has money buy more.  For all you know he has lost all his income and is still trying to help.

dont be an a**

RE: Selling some face shields

Posted by: @jch

@rob-w5

[...] ie: not everyone has filament to spare or has money buy more.  For all you know he has lost all his income and is still trying to help.

If someone has a good printer but no filament, it's worth touching base locally. Some companies may donate filament. The bottleneck in this process is the amount of time each print takes, so the more printers we can bring to bear, the better. Some guys on the local MA slack group are sharing supplies.

RE: Selling some face shields

@jch

Thank you I appreciate that.  I do not intend to make for hospital workers because the only filament I have is only PLA and I work in a essential store that still has to serve the public.  That is why i am reserved to not make for hospital because they cannot be sterilized as well as other filaments as I have read about PLA.  That being said only to other essential business (grocery stores) where individuals are willing to pay something for the shields.  I only want to recoup costs for the filament.  I live in a town where I think I am one of the few that even own a printer or even know about 3d printing that care.  I am going to put my services up on the prusa world service site.  I will look into the organizations that someone on this post has suggested and see if they want to give supplies. 

RE: Selling some face shields

@rob-w5

I work for what I have and share what I have.  Logic dictates if I want to help others out filament does not magically appear out of thin air.  Logic dictates that if there are people in the general public (heads of households) who have to be getting out to get essentials and want to buy face shield, then I will sell it to them.  That money is going to buy more filament so I can print them and give them to people who are in essential businesses.  Those are the people that will benefit without paying.  Thats what taking and giving is!  I sell to some that are not high risk but still want them and use that money to make shields to give to those that are in high risk stores (exception to hospital workers) at no cost.  If you need to know why I am reserved about making for hospital workers is that I only have PLA filament.  I have read that PLA is not suitable for hospital workers because of degradation with alcohol for disinfecting.  I do not have a lush home with a separate room, shop or garage which would be needed to print with other filaments that release harmful fumes.  I print from inside my home where I have a 86 year mother that resides.  The last thing I need is to expose her or myself to bad fumes and make our respiratory system high risk.  That is why i am only sticking with PLA.

Get the point.  I hope so!

RE: Selling some face shields

FYI - PETG generates fewer ultra-fine particles than PLA and doesn't generate noxious fumes. It's also more robust than PLA. It might be a good option.

Check with local groups doing printing. You may find someone willing to donate some to a good cause so you don't have to charge folks who are already under stress.

Good luck with it.

RE: Selling some face shields

@bobstro

Thanks for the info when I deplete my PLA stock I will order PET G or try to get some from someone who wants to donate.  I will of course not be charging for donated filament. 

Before this crisis started I had saved up to buy a filament Once I can build an enclosure for it so that no contaminants can get into my filastruder I will start to print my own filament as pellets are much cheaper then I will be able to produce much more shields for much much less.

Thank you for the info on PETG, I am putting mine and my mothers health in trust of your information.

P.S.  Is the PETG recommended for hospital workers with regards to disinfection?

RE: Selling some face shields

Posted by: @mr-b

[...] Thank you for the info on PETG, I am putting mine and my mothers health in trust of your information.

I appreciate your trust, but definitely check it out for yourself. Everything I've read about PETG indicates it's one of the cleaner filaments to print with, but I'm no specialist on healthcare recommendations. So long as you don't print in the room where somebody with issues spends much time, I wouldn't anticipate any problems.

P.S.  Is the PETG recommended for hospital workers with regards to disinfection?

PETS is preferred by most that I've encountered based mainly on the ability to withstand higher temperatures for sterilization and cleaning. Both PLA and PETG are fine with alcohol wipes and the like. I've found PETG to be more bendy for things like headbands, so much more comfortable to use.

RE: Selling some face shields

Ugh. PETG not PETS. Sorry for any confusion.

RE: Selling some face shields

@bobstro

I will deplete my PLA as alcohol wipes will be okay.  That will be sufficient for whom I am printing them for.

But will use PETG if I intend to print for hospital workers.

I am possibly thinking of finding a way to send them to Mexico as they don't have the near the resources as here in the USA.

RE: Selling some face shields

Made my 300th shield for free today.. Printing basically 24/7. Prusas are wearing and tearing unfortunately. Providing them to hospitals etc through 3rd party. I was never thinking about selling them. Even when someone write me through FB messenger he needs some. 

RE: Selling some face shields

@mr-b where are you located? I can keep my eyes open for someone willing to ship filament.

RE: Selling some face shields

Posted by: @bobstro

Ugh. PETG not PETS. Sorry for any confusion.

Instructions unclear.........dog caught in extruder!

RE: Selling some face shields

@mr-b - if you register at GetUSPPE you can indicate that you have a 3D printer but need materials (PETG filament). No guarantees anything will turn up, but it's worth a shot.

RE: Selling some face shields

@bobstro

Thanks for the headsup but my printer is starting the clicking issue.  My printer has no more than 12 hours of print time as it is new and now I am getting the clicking issue among other things I have had to recalibrate after a piece of filament was in between the frame and the z axis as it was going up and messed up the adjustment then when I went to calibrate it started grazing my sheet bed until I turned it off.

I am really unhappy right now with the printer.  I have been trying to watch you tube fixing the clicking and saw where they said to oil the filament.  Is that the least cost effective solution as I am not prepared to order an  upgraded hotend to fix this if that is even a solution.

So much for helping with face shields, oh well maybe the face shield god is reaming me for wanting to charge for face shields to get more filament.  Oh well he knows I don't have money to throw away.  I have to save up for what I have and in these current times I don't have savings to buy a new hot end.

Any solution to the clicking would be appreciate or confirmed if oiling the filament is okay.

I am going to play around designing a small cap to put over the top of the extruder where the filament enters that will hold a piece of paper towel that will keep the filament lubricated if that is my only non monetary option.

I will upload if i get if completed, should be simple design.

Thanks!

RE: Selling some face shields

oil the what??

Have you tried reading thru this? https://help.prusa3d.com/en/article/extruder-noises_2013/

soory for short reply - on mobile

RE: Selling some face shields

Posted by: @mr-b

[...] Any solution to the clicking would be appreciate or confirmed if oiling the filament is okay.

Do not oil anything. When all-metal hotends first came out, oiling was recommended to get filament to slide through the heatbreak smoothly. E3D started using PTFE tubing at the top of the tube to eliminate the need to do this. If you oil your filament, you are very likely to completely screw up the adhesion on your PEI print surface. Some very good printers still use such hotends (BeVeryCreative BX200 comes to mind) but it's not a commonplace thing. CNC Kitchen did a YouTube video in which he casually tested it, and while it actually improved adhesion in some cases, it wasn't worth the risk to adhesion.

The clicking can be caused by several factors, many of which aren't a big deal.

1. What printer are you using? Looked through above quickly and didn't spot it.
2. What filament and temps are you using? Simply raising print temps 5-10C can help.
3. How warm is your printer setting? If temps exceed 40C ambient, you can have a variety of "heat creep" issues.

Troubleshoot the problem before you go applying solutions meant for other printers!

RE: Selling some face shields

Posted by: @mr-b

@bobstro

Thanks for the headsup but my printer is starting the clicking issue.  My printer has no more than 12 hours of print time as it is new and now I am getting the clicking issue among other things I have had to recalibrate after a piece of filament was in between the frame and the z axis as it was going up and messed up the adjustment then when I went to calibrate it started grazing my sheet bed until I turned it off.

I am really unhappy right now with the printer.  I have been trying to watch you tube fixing the clicking and saw where they said to oil the filament.  Is that the least cost effective solution as I am not prepared to order an  upgraded hotend to fix this if that is even a solution.

So much for helping with face shields, oh well maybe the face shield god is reaming me for wanting to charge for face shields to get more filament.  Oh well he knows I don't have money to throw away.  I have to save up for what I have and in these current times I don't have savings to buy a new hot end.

Any solution to the clicking would be appreciate or confirmed if oiling the filament is okay.

I am going to play around designing a small cap to put over the top of the extruder where the filament enters that will hold a piece of paper towel that will keep the filament lubricated if that is my only non monetary option.

I will upload if i get if completed, should be simple design.

 

Thanks!

Dismantle the hotend, issue is in heatbreak. What you have to do is follow these steps:

1) complete disassembly the hotend,  (remove nozzle, remove heatbreak, and PTFE tube).

2) cleanup heatbreak as much as possible, use light to see inside the heatbreak, and if there is any filament there clean it up, it has to be completely clean

3) to avoid future issues follow this assembly instruction:

- screw the heatbreak to hotend, from the other side screw the nozzle - use common sense to screw them as strong as possible, there must not be any space between heatbreak and nozzle (about 1.5N if you have torque wrench)

- Put PTFE tube into heatbreak and apply thermal paste to heatbreak. 

- Unscrew top brass nut on hotend cooler about 1/2 rotation, I tried also about 3/4

- Put heatbreak (with PTFE) to hotend cooler and push it to the top (hold it and push it up with the thumb, while holding with other fingers the top of the cooler). With the second hand screw 3 tiny nuts that hold the heatbreak in position.

- after this screw top brass nut on hotend back firmly - that should push the PTFE tube so there is any space between PTFE and the heatbreak.

- finish assembly (thermistor, heater block etc)

and enjoy your printing 😀