3D printer put to use by Boyceville Science and Math teacher Andrew Hamm
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ANDREW HAMM and Cade Klefstad have been working hard to print masks for public service workers in need. The masks take 3.5 hours to print and they are able to print three per day. —photo submitted by Andrew Hamm
By Amber Hayden
BOYCEVILLE — Andrew Hamm, Math and Science teacher, of Boyceville High School, has begun to print 3D masks, with the help of Boyceville senior Cade Klefstad, after finding plans online to help organizations in their time of need.
“After watching a TV program last week where the president of the Massachusetts General Hospital was asking people with 3D printers to help print masks, I worked with one of my students, Cade Klefstad, and we did some research and found a mask plan online that we could print with our printers,” Hamm explained.
Hamm had contacted Klefstad due to his work with the 3D printers over the last six years, stating that Klefstad had done tremendous work with the printers and knew how they worked.
“I have been 3D printing since seventh grade, so I have done a lot and it has become a passion of mine,” said Klefstad. “Without this printer being given to us and the repair costs from Merilyn Fanetti we would not be where we are today, and I wouldn’t have been as far as I am today.”
The printed masks are reusable and allow for the small filter part of a N95 mask to be inserted into the mask. The plans were developed by Dusty Richardson, MD, and Spencer Zaugg, DDS, in Billings, MT, and were highlighted on CNN.
“Cade gets a lot of credit for his work on this from getting the file ready for the 3D printer, to figuring out all of the settings needed to successfully print the masks,” Hamm explained. “We are hoping to make as many as we can.”
The masks take roughly three and a half hours to print with three of them going at a time. Administrators and secretaries are also helping out.
“So far we have had interest from the Boyceville Police Department, the Village of Boyceville for the election, and a few individuals who work in public service who encounter people who may have been exposed to the virus,” Hamm explained.
Hamm stated they are able to make three to six masks per day, and already have ten masks printed and looking for a home.
The masks are reusable and can be disinfected as they are hard plastic, and the filters are able to be replaced as well.
Unfortunately, there has been no access to formal filters, but Hamm has been researching online cotton blend t-shirts that do the job of blocking microorganisms while still creating a mask that can be breathed through.
“If you know of any organizations that could use these masks, please get me in contact with them as we want to find a home for these masks,” he stated.
Hamm and Klefstad are working on getting the masks into the hands of those working with public service at the current time, and haven’t had individuals approach them about the masks.
“Several other school districts have contacted me to get rolling with the printing or at least learn more about the process, including Colfax, Luck, Ellsworth, and most recently Eau Claire is looking into it,” Hamm said. “Jamie Buchholtz from Colfax has e-mailed me and he said he is going to start rolling.”
The experience has been a great educational opportunity in the capabilities of the 3D printer, he explained, and he has been sharing this experience with members of the Boyceville community.
“Giving back to the area that helped us receive this printer means everything, and it may not be the quantity, but we hope that others will do the same,” explained Klefstad.
The 3D printer was purchased two years ago with help from the Community Foundation of Dunn County and Marilyn Fanetti.
Being able to access the 3D printer has meant a lot to Klefstad because it was given through a community grant, and now it is being used to something to give back to the community.
“I think it is a great idea and a great way to connect our students, staff and community,” said Boyceville superintendent Nick Kaiser. “It is a real positive in a time of uncertainty”
Hamm was recently contacted by an emergency room doctor from Aurora Sinai Hospital in Milwaukee and asked how many masks they would be able to send them.
“The insurance through the school hasn’t approved us to send them out yet,” said Hamm. “But we are hoping to be able to soon.”
Klefstad hopes that getting the word out about the Boyceville School District will encourage more companies and schools with printers to start printing masks.
