NICHOLAS COUNTY, WV (WOAY) – When you think of fighting the pandemic, you don’t typically think of beekeeping and 3-D printing being part of the equation, but one local beekeeper makes sure those on the front lines are protected.
“Our medical professionals need personal protection equipment,” said Jason Bragg with New River Honey Bees. “These being 3-D printers, the way they work is they extrude a hot plastic, so as soon as it’s printed it’s going to be sterile.
Teaming up with Fayette County schools, Bragg uses a number of 3-D printers to help build face shields for medical professionals.
“The 3-D printers feed a plastic filament string, almost like weedeater string, through these tubes and lays down a layer at a time until it builds up to the finished mask.”
Bragg typically uses his printer to make beekeeping supplies, but the coronavirus has made for a few changes in how he does business. With those changes, he has made the time to print at least 100 headbands to send to WVU in Parkersburg. There, they’ll assemble the rest of the mask to be issued to the National Guard.
Bragg says the effort couldn’t be possible if it weren’t for Fayette County Assistant Superintendent Anne Kincaid-Cline pitching the idea and the STEM teachers that help.