LYNNFIELD — A middle school student is using his ingenuity to help doctors and nurses stay safe on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis.
Cameron Sullivan, an eighth-grader at the Lynnfield Middle School, was looking for a way to help those people who are at the greatest risk contracting the virus.
With stories popping up everyday about people making do-it-yourself protective masks, and a new 3D printer he received for Christmas, the 14-year-old self-described inventor kicked it up a notch to create a high tech plastic model of the N-95 facemask. In the process, he also found a way to stretch a single N-95 mask into four.
“I was looking to do something to help and I saw this really cool idea on a website to make masks using a 3D printer, so I downloaded it, thinking this was the perfect way to do what I can to help,” said Sullivan. “I started about a week ago and I have made and distributed five so far. I figure I can make 10-12 a week, maybe more.”
Sullivan says the process begins with a spool of polylactic or PLA filament, a fully biodegradable thermoplastic polymer that he says is a commonly used material in the 3D printing process.
For those who haven’t the vaguest idea what all that means, Sullivan explains.
“The plastic has a low melting point and is melted onto the bed of the printer, which gradually builds up layer after layer until the form is completed,” said Sullivan. “After that, you take the form and just add a filtration square and the elastic and you are done.”
Sullivan cuts one N-95 mask into four squares, which he fits around a square template that snaps into the portion of the mask that covers the mouth. He also recycles the elastic from the cut-up mask to add ear straps.
The process takes about 15 hours in all, but Sullivan says it’s worth the wait.
“It takes a long time to make them, that’s the down side, but it only takes about 15 minutes of prep time and you end up with a structurally sound product that can be used over and over,” he said. “There is an option to cut the process down to about 10 hours, but those are not nearly the same quality and they are rougher on the face. We thought about being able to make more, but felt it was more important to have the best quality and comfort.”
Sullivan said PLA filament is easily purchased online. He bought his first roll at Amazon.com at a cost of about $15. It is available in a variety of colors and sizes.
“It looks like a roll of copper wire,” said Sullivan. “You simply attach it to the printer, and, after that, all you have to do is wait as the layers get added.”
Sullivan’s father, Kevin, and Lynnfield Middle School Principal Stephen Ralston, helped promote distribution of the masks via Facebook posts to formulate a list of persons interested in getting a mask.
“Cameron found a way to combine his own talents and ideas to manufacture an N-95 type mask with a bit of a different spin,” said Ralston. “He’s a very artistic and creative kid.”
Sullivan’s N-95 mask supplier is close to home — his father is a radiology technician, who currently works in hospitals and medical facilities keeping those machines in good working order.
“He’s out on the road every day, going from hospital to hospital,” said Sullivan’s mom, Bridget. “I can’t say that we don’t worry about him being where he is, but the truth is he is not nearly at risk as the doctors and nurses and technicians are who work directly with patients.”
Anne Marie Tobin can be reached at [email protected].
