News 29.04.2020

AFA Katowice supports hospitals with help from businesses

AFA Katowice modelling studio is to manufacture more than 3650 face shields. This initiative by AFA teachers and employees is joined by local businesses, which purchased the polycarbonate, and numerous volunteers who assemble the face shields.

All face shields will be donated to hospitals and care homes.

‘This is the only way we can help now, by using the equipment we have at the modelling studio of the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice. Normally, we teach students how to create products that will be useful in everyday life; now we can show them how it works in practice, explains dr Sybilla Skałuba, who came up with the idea and coordinates the work.

The production of the face shields started in early April. The school has purchased approved polycarbonate, while teachers and employees applied themselves to cutting and assembling the shields.

The volunteers include: Piotr Sabatowski, who operated the CNC machine and produced the shields, Katarzyna Sekret and other employees who assembled them, Prof. Katarzyna Gawrych-Olender, who organised the transport and logistics, Dr Marta Pogorzelec and Artur Masternak, who also assembled and shipped the shields, as well as Magdalena Palupska, Weronika Kocela and lots of others, also outside the AFA.

Some 800 face shields have already been made. When the first batch reached the hospitals, it turned out that there is a huge demand. We could still work but we needed the material. This was when we got help from businesses; with their donation of PLN 13,700 in total we can make another batch of 2800 face shields. Other volunteers who assemble them include the scouting organisation and Silesia Film, whose employees work on the face shields at the cinemas: Światowid, Kosmos, Rialto, Janosik in Żywiec and Bałtyk in Racibórz.

The Director of Silesia Film Ewa Sadkowska says: ‘Not so long ago we were still creating the content of film classes for AFA, we advised design students on leaflat stands for cinemas, we talked about the visual identity of the film train, about a mural at the Światowid cinema. Now the world has come to a standstill and the reality poses other challenges. We made art together, now we take up the challenge together. This is our JOINT responsibility.’

The face shields have been donated to: the Specialist Hospital no. 4 in Bytom, Specialist Hospital in Chorzów, Psychiatric Hospital in Toszek, Oncology Centre in Dąbrowa Górnicza, Murcki Hospital, Pediatric Centre in Sosnowiec, Upper Silesian Child Health Centre, University Clinical Centre of the Silesian Medical University in Katowice, Municipal Hospital in Siemianowice Śląskie,  Municipal Hospital in Chorzów.

All face shields are produces using the free pattern from http://sprzetdlaszpitali.pl/

The production is supported financially by:
Welding Alloys Polska Sp. z o. o,
Woodica Fabryka Mebli Drewnianych
Biuro Projektowania Systemów Cyfrowych Sp. z o. o. (BPSC)
Katowickie Wodociągi S.A.

We have also used the Dimension UPrint 3D printers, normally used by students, to make ABS adapters. They can easily transform Decathlon’s Easybreath SUBEA snorkeling mask into a highly-effcient protective mask for medical personnel, or into a ventilating device to support patients’ breathing (CPAP). The first adapters have already reached hospitals.
 
The Design Student Learning Association has also joined the efforts to limit the pandemic by sewing face masks, using also recycled materials. Next week, 350 masks will be donated to hospitals and care homes.

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