St. Cloud State University is manufacturing face shields for medical staff at CentraCare St. Cloud Hospital as they prepare to treat COVID-19 patients.

Professor of the Department of Environmental & Technological Studies, Kurt Helgeson, says they started making the face shields in bulk Monday. The demand is for them to produce 750 medical face shields per week.

Helgeson says he and his colleagues are using 3D printers in the Husky Make It Space in Headley Hall. He adds SCSU has ten 3D printers, as many as any other higher educational facility in the state of Minnesota, making the university uniquely qualified to help with the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is how the university’s faculty team are making the face shields. They are using the 3D printers to generate the plastic framing, then they’re cutting transparencies out with laser engravers.

Yesterday, the university put out an email call for transparency film from campus departments. Helgeson calls the response from the campus community “phenomenal.” He added offers from other faculty, student workers and nursing students to help make the shields have been coming in, but right now they’re being very careful and are not adding extra people to their manufacturing team.

Also, at this time the department has enough of the transparency film and does not need donations from the greater community. They will keep KVSC posted if more transparency film is needed.