Barton Peveril Teacher Makes PPE for NHS

Horwood created the masks using the College’s two state-of-the-art 3D printers, setting up and working in a sterile printing lab in his conservatory at home. The Subject Leader created the masks as part of 3DCrowd UK, a group of volunteers working tirelessly around the country to make PPE for the nation’s healthcare services. Currently, 3DCrowd UK consists of over 8,000 volunteers and recently supplied over 39,000 masks to more than 90 NHS Foundation Trusts in a single week.

After printing, with each mask taking several hours, Horwood packaged and sent them to the local and national 3DCrowd UK Hubs where they were shipped to the NHS. Every hospital in Hampshire received one of the Barton Peveril Teacher’s masks.

Speaking on his contribution to the NHS, David Horwood said:

“I had seen that Design and Technology Departments and home 3D printing enthusiasts were getting together to try and help the NHS with the shortage of PPE. I jumped at the chance to make a difference and help those putting themselves at risk on the front line of the NHS. I feel that this combined effort from departments across the country has really showcased the importance of Design and Technology and how we can adapt quickly and flexibly to apply our skills to real life user needs.”

Barton Peveril Principal, Jonathan Prest, praised Horwood’s efforts:

“We had a couple of approaches from people wanting to support the NHS with sourcing equipment.  Some were easy to respond to: collecting several hundred pairs of safety glasses from our empty laboratories and finding hundreds of mini-whiteboards and marker pens for the bedside (which again were in empty classrooms). Much more difficult was the request for visors. 

Another sixth form college in Farnborough had a design for a visor frame which can be made with a 3D Printer and that was when I got in touch with our Subject Leader for Product Design David Horwood. Without any hesitation David liaised with the estate staff, went into College, brought the equipment home and set up a mini-production line in his house. It’s a laborious process, printing in 3D, and needs constant checking, but David was brilliant and kept the kit running over Easter. I have no doubt his efforts have prevented several health workers in local hospitals catching this terrible virus. David is one of those many unsung heroes that difficult times generate.”