Maker Mask Responds to COVID-19 Pandemic by Enabling Small Batch Production Sites Around the World to Produce Protective Masks

SEATTLE, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Maker Mask, a nonprofit initiative organized by leaders in technology, industry, and government, today announced significant and positive worldwide response to the group's designs for producing the Maker Mask, a medically reviewed and Open Source 3D printable protective mask for use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Small batch production sites in communities in 88 countries around the world have visited the makermask.com website and many are using the free designs and specifications for printing the 3D printer protective masks.

More than 88,500 pageviews have occurred by more than 20,000 visitors on the makermask.com website during the past 48 hours to get information about the masks and more than 1,500 people from maker/hobbyist communities, healthcare organizations, universities, companies, and the government have downloaded the designs and specifications for the Maker Mask.

"The response to the Maker Mask has been incredible. We're seeing interest in the mask from a diverse mix of people and organizations around the world who are seeking protect their health during this global pandemic. The Maker Mask launch is a grassroots 'ecosystem initiative' to help people during this global pandemic. What we're trying to do is to provide enough coherency with our digital platform to enable and coordinate the action of tens of thousands of people and organizations, without providing too much structure that would inhibit their actions or compromise their full ownership of their own production," said Jonathan Roberts, co-founder of nonprofit RPrime and founding partner at Ignition Partners, a venture capital firm based in Bellevue, Washington. "We're striking a balance between helping to organize and coordinate efforts while at the same time unleashing the animal spirits and innovation of people around the world, in organizations of all types and sizes, and individuals working on their own. The common link is that they are all trying to do the right thing. They are all focused on equipping the true heroes, those on the front lines of confronting COVID-19, with the equipment they need to be safe and effective."

During the past 24 hours, interest in makermask.com has jumped from four countries to 88 countries and continues to accelerate with small batch production sites rapidly going into operation across the U.S. and globally.

"The global downloads that we're seeing show strong interest and download requests coming from across the U.S., all of the Western European countries, North Africa, the Middle East and a total of 88 countries and 69 languages," said Taylor Odegard, CEO at NavigatorCRE, who is in charge of data science and digital logistics for the site. "These analytics really demonstrate the power of our digital platform that is providing valuable data and CAD models to an ecosystem of users responding to this crisis,"

The Maker Mask, developed by inventor Rory Larson, can be manufactured using commonly available materials and hobbyist grade 3D printers for a cost of about $2 to $3 each for materials. The design allows CAD-based 3D mask printing to be combined with readily available, replaceable components such as weather stripping, elastic, and vacuum cleaner bags. The mask is re-usable, has replaceable filters, and heat-molds to each wearer's individual face for an airtight fit. Because it is reusable by just changing the filter, one Maker Mask is the equivalent of 300 disposable masks over a two month period. The Maker Masks are nearing NIH approval and a patent for the design is pending.

For more information about Maker Mask and how to make these masks, please join the webinar to be held on Thursday, April 2 at 1:00 pm PST. To register, please visit makermask.com.

The Maker Mask initiative is enabling communities to create necessary goods locally and quickly to  lessen the spread of disease, protect more people, reduce burdens on medical facilities/Department of Defense/governments, and give people around the world something they can do to be part of the solution to this pandemic, while building and training capability for the future.  

SOURCE Maker Mask