Engineers, teachers and 3D printer enthusiasts have come together to help produce personal protective equipment for front line workers in the battle against COVID-19 on the Isle of Man.
The equipment is being made to supplement the PPE which the Isle of Man Government is sourcing from the UK and further afield on a regular basis - with the latest batch containing 65,000 masks delivered this week.
Projects have sprung into action in engineering facilities, classrooms, and homes with people using their expertise and equipment to provide Manx NHS staff with protective face visors.
The engineering community is already working with the Isle of Man Government on a project to convert snorkel masks into important breathing equipment for coronavirus patients.
After this success, the Government requested engineers explore the manufacture of protective face visors, with seven companies taking on the challenge.
Now Crowdshield.im, a wider community initiative has formed, which includes engineers, businesses and 3D print enthusiasts with their own printers and is being co-ordinated by the Isle of Man Government.
Hundreds of masks have been made on the Island and are already in use by the NHS after being fed into the PPE hub at the National Sports Centre for distribution.
