Coronavirus mask exhalation valve and pattern COVD-19 facemask

thingiverse

Updated 4/15 to include a corrected and missing part, additional files and additions to instructions file. Four sizes of patterns and detailed instructions with plenty of photos included. My husband works as a quality engineer for an essential company that requires him to interact with people who refuse to maintain social distance and are still coughing into their hands. I made him some fabric masks, but the heat from his breath fogs up his glasses and he can't see clearly. I had an old N95 mask lying around and decided to disassemble it to examine the one-way air valve, which surprised me with its simplicity. I came up with a design that allows the valve to be unscrewed from the fabric and filter portion of the mask. The filter is discarded, the fabric is washed, and the valve assembly is submerged in Lysol, washed, and dried for reuse. I tested this design informally after assembly by turning the mask inside out, so the front was on top and the inside was on the bottom. Then I filled it with water, which eventually soaked through the outer fabric layer, but the seal showed no visible signs of leaking. So, the moral of the story is that this has not been tested extensively, use at your own risk! Or better yet, test it, improve it, or let me know if it's worthless. I printed this design with 100% infill using PETG and also tried Nylon, both worked well. There are PDF patterns and instructions with tons of pictures included, as well as the Fusion file. If you take a look at it, don't laugh, I'm sure there are better ways to do things since I don't use it often. I forgot to include the pattern for the removable filters; if anyone is interested, let me know. Link to the silicone film/sheet: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071KQZBVM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1