Will Loper is a Southwest Gas engineer who, like so many, is working from home during this pandemic.
As he began working from home doing his job for the gas company, he quickly realized his gifted 3D printer needed to get some use.
“It prints one layer at a time and basically just builds from the bottom up,” says Loper.
Loper is going through the rigorous process of making these shields. Each one takes him about 10 hours to complete.
“At a time when there's so much uncertainty with shortage of PPE across the country it was important to me to help in anyway that I could and it just so happened I was at the right place with the right equipment to help,“ he adds.
His inspiration came from a friend of a coworker, a healthcare provider, who was in desperate need of protecting herself and others while working at hospitals and clinics.
“To date, (I've made) somewhere over 100. I kinda lost count. I've given them to friends, co-workers, people at Walgreens. I've given them to (a friend) ...she gave them to her medical coworkers,” he adds.
Loper says the demand has slowed down a bit, but that doesn't mean he's stopping his production line.
"I simply wanted to help those who work in the front lines, in the medical community, Southwest Gas coworkers who are working to keep gas on during this time, that are working,” he adds.
He says he's glad to have made a difference, one person at a time.
