Innovative Anti-Fogging Face Shield using Cooling Fan

thingiverse

This is a remix of the popular 3DVerkstan face shield Europe 4 hole version for COVID-19 (https://3dverkstan.se/protective-visor/protective-visor-versions/). Biggest struggle for anyone wearing glasses will appreciate the necessity of this device. When you wear a mask, glasses and face shield get fogged up. Even with a proper nose seal, after some time fogging is inevitable. This COVID pandemic has become the biggest annoyance for people with glasses. My profession requires assessing and talking with patients, which accentuates the fogging and obscures the vision. ___________________________________________ Innovative Anti-fogging face shield using Cooling Fan ___________________________________________ I took the STL file from 3DVerkstan, used it as a stencil, created this 3D model using Fusion 360. It's a simple design to accommodate a 40 mm cooling fan 12V (that's what I had, but very silent) along with necessary electronic circuits and battery. Simple soldering skills are required for this project. Things you need (actually things I used): 1. 40 mm cooling fan 12V (preferably along with the 10mm screws for fixing) 2. Lithium Polymer battery (I had 1000mAh, which was big and hence required some post printing modifications to accommodate it) - preferable less than 40mm, so 500 mAh batteries will be the best bet 3. TP4056 charging module (with over-discharge protection) 4. 12V step-up module / booster 5. DC switch (preferably latching type push button switch) A slot for microUSB port is not there in the provided STL files. After soldering wires, position the charging module and cut a slot accordingly. The 1000mAh Lipo battery was bit heavy (weight of the entire plastic part actually). So would recommend to use 500mAh battery. In fact, if you use an elastic band secure on the head, this added weight won't be a problem. But using it for prolonged hours causes headache and feels uncomfortable. Print the fan cover STL file with no top or bottom layers and use honeycomb infill pattern. This forms a grill covering the fan. This fan cover has to be glued to the base on top. Before adding the fan, check the air flow direction. Air should be flowing through the filter inside. After adding the 4 bolts within the slots provided in the cooling fan, I glued the fan to the base at corners. Solder wire connections and arrange all the electronics as shown in picture, use double side tape for fixing the circuits & battery and close the lid with screws. I want DC Switch to be on the side, so that I can switch on and off whenever needed. So I secured the switch and the connecting wires using 3D Pen. But superglue is also a good option. The filter can be cut from ordinary 2 or 3 ply surgical mask. Place the surgical mask on the fan cover, slip in the Filter Holder (ring) and cut the excess mask material. The Holder will hold the filter snug (might require bit of sanding on the inside if it's too tight). Finally, Punch holes in transparent PET sheet or OHP sheet at distances specified (refer 3DVerkstan website for more instructions), attach it and use it! It's very effective. Even if it fogs when talking, it clears in an instant. Happy printing! Stay Safe!!