04/18/2020
Adversity Spawns Call to Action and Innovation; SAI COO and Son Print 3D products
Without question all of us have experienced the COVID-19 crisis in probably very similar ways; stay-at-home orders, isolation, trying to setup an office at home, keeping the dog quite while on a telecom, or trying to figure out just what to do with all this new found ‘spare-time’ on our hands due to no commute to/from the office anymore. Well, our COO, Darrin Luedke, and his son Dalton have filled their spare time in a big way.
Within about a week of starting their stay-at-home regiment away from the office and school, they approached the crisis in a much different manner by answering the question of “What can we do to somehow help those that are helping us?”
Dalton, Darrin’s son, is a 17-year old junior at Sequoya High School in Woodstock, GA. He has always immersed himself in technology since an early age. About 3 years ago Dalton, with his Dad’s oversight and support, began setting up a mini-print farm for his soon to be 3D design and printing business. Dalton has been producing products such as keychains, toy replacement parts, and his most popular item, bag tags, for a little over 2 years now. Actually, if you have been to one of SAI's conference booths in the past year or so you probably own one of Dalton’s creations. He created and printed all of our 2019 swag of choice – the somewhat humorous bag tags that we handed out.
Fast forward to March 2020. Dalton found an article online detailing how their equipment supply company retooled about 80% of their 3D print farm operation to support their local healthcare and emergency workers by 3D printing face shield (spatter guard) frames. Dalton loved the idea and presented it to his dad for a project here in Georgia. About the same time that Dalton found his 'calling', Darrin watched a local Atlanta news segment about a dentist that designed a 3D face mask as an alternative to breathing masks. With both those ideas in mind, Darrin and Dalton began the process of setting up a 3D print ‘factory’ to produce face shields and face masks for the local Georgia community.
Over the course of the last 4 - 5 weeks, they have shipped masks and shields to 14+ states based on people reaching out to them requesting any help with PPE. The product and the shipping costs are covered through donations they have received, and continue to receive, from around the country.
If interested in reading more, this article in the local Georgia paper gives some more details.
A Cherokee County father and son are using three-dimensional printing to make much needed protective equipment for use during the coronavirus pandemic.
