O’Neal Puts 3-D Printing to Work for COVID-19 Relief
O’Neal Education Technology Specialist Kari Smith, with help from her family and O’Neal’s 3-D printers, has two projects underway to aid with the COVID-19 crisis.
She has partnered with Gilero – a medical research and design company in Morrisville, NC to help manufacture parts for their well-researched face shield. Once assembled at Gilero, they will be sent free of charge to area hospitals. “We are a small part of their effort, but I think it is wonderful and exciting to put our printers to work for such an amazing cause,” comments Smith. To learn more about Gilero, visit their website: www.gilero.com.
On the local front, Burney True Value Hardware and Sandhills 3-D have coordinated a grass roots effort to manufacture face masks for the local first responders – fire, EMS, police. They have a request for 600 face masks in total. O’Neal has joined in the program and Kari has just delivered the first round. “We’ve printed more than 20 masks and supplied them to Burney Hardware for donation,” says Smith. “At 5 hours print time for each, that’s pretty good!” For more information about the first responder face masks, visit Burney True Value Hardware Seven Lakes or Sandhills 3-D.
O’Neal’s 3-D printers and the 3-D printing class now offered to Upper School students, is a result of the Science and Technology Fund a Need initiative that coincided with the 2019 Annual Auction Benefit. As an independent study, O’Neal senior and recently announced NCSU Park Scholar, Niasha Kodzai has been designing fidget pens with O’Neal’s 3-D printers to help those with ADD/ADHD and certain forms of autism to better focus. A few 3-D printers along with amazing instruction from Kari Smith, has opened many doors in allowing O’Neal to inspire its students as well as give back to its community.
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