Idea Fab Labs, a fabrication lab, makerspace, and tech-art gallery located just blocks away from the University, is cutting transparent plastic shields that snap onto the frames produced at Chico State. The shields and the frames can be cleaned and reused.

We are humbled that our campus resides upon sacred lands that since time immemorial have sustained the Mechoopda people and continue to do so today.

The project’s first phase was to make 3,000 face shields—with the possibility of making significantly more if there was demand, Watkins said. As the University follows the state’s Stay At Home order, with only essential personnel on campus, he and colleagues looked to the wider Chico community to help.

“Everybody came together and put in a lot of hours to make this happen,” Watkins said. “It’s gratifying to see our students apply their design and manufacturing education and utilize our campus facilities to help out the local medical community.”

“It has been incredible to watch this come together,” said David Little, executive vice president of NVCF. “Everybody recognized a need for personal protective equipment for all health care workers, from doctors in emergency rooms to hygienists in dental offices. Then everyone worked to figure out how to make it happen.”

With the success of the project’s first phase, and a continued demand for PPE, the University moved into the project’s second phase—manufacturing up to an additional 7,000 frames, using the department’s plastic injection machines. In early May, students developed a metal molding to be used for plastic injection and significantly increase frame production.

Addressing the community’s urgent need for additional personal protective equipment (PPE), Chico State is working to bridge that gap amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Finding the right supplier is not always easy. But the company MERSEN didn’t have to search long. Their ideal partner is located directly in their region. With Meusburger as their supplier, MERSEN benefits from many advantages and years of successful co-operation.

In addition to Watkins, other individuals at Chico State who have been instrumental in moving this project forward are Eric Ayars, chair of the Department of Physics; Sinan Bank, assistant professor from the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering and Sustainable Manufacturing; Jaydie Lee, technician from the College of Natural Sciences; and Patrick Newell, dean of Meriam Library.

“It’s satisfying to apply engineering skills to a community project and see the incredible interest of those who are willing to help,” he said. “They’re not concerned at all with getting reimbursed, they just want to help.”

MERSEN relies on the Austrian standard parts manufacturer for special machining, among other things. Meusburger’s support is particularly helpful when things need to happen quickly or when special requirements can no longer be met in-house. For example, when machining extremely deep pockets and fitting holes, Meusburger helps find the right solution for every requirement. Whether flame cutting, sawing, deep hole drilling, milling, grinding or turning, the company provides proficiency and experience when it comes to special machining. Due to their modern machinery, Meusburger can handle all orders quickly, cost-effectively and in top quality, which is what won MERSEN over from the start.

The four county Public Health Departments conducted surveys to identify how many each county needs. Completed shields will be trucked to each county’s public health office, then distributed by the county. The shields will be given to hospitals, doctor’s offices, urgent care clinics, dental offices, veterans clinics, student health centers, and more.

Sean Murphy (English, ’97) is the Media Relations Coordinator at Chico State. When he's not writing press releases and pitching story ideas to the media or fielding media inquiries, he's writing about human interest stories, sports, the outdoors and the remarkable students, staff and faculty at Chico State.

Idea Fab Labs director Erin Banwell initially contacted Enloe representatives to discuss how the startup could help with PPE production and began producing prototype frames and shields from models posted online.

North Valley Community Foundation (NVCF) and Feather River Health Foundation split the cost of the plastic material and the labor so the shields could be donated. NVCF and Feather River Health Foundation both have coronavirus relief funds and this month formed a partnership to combine resources.

Through consultation with Enloe Medical Center and a partnership with tech startup Idea Fab Labs, the University is supporting the production of thousands of PPEs for healthcare workers using campus community members’ personal 3D printers and University machinery for plastic injection molding. The goal is to produce and distribute 20,000 face shields by mid-July in Butte, Glenn, Tehama, and Colusa Counties.

Together, the partnership is striving to prevent a sizeable PPE shortfall as the healthcare community braces for an expected surge in patients diagnosed with COVID-19. The first set of face shields was delivered to Enloe in mid-April, with deliveries ongoing in recent weeks.

The site in Hittisau, Austria, was established in 1972 and currently has approximately 160 employees working on developing and designing custom components. MERSEN has an especially wide range of production ranging from die making, permanent mould casting, injection moulding, or plastic presses, Meusburger provides the support with its comprehensive and perfectly matched product range. A decisive advantage for MERSEN is that with Meusburger, they can get all the steel grades they need from a single source.

The co-operation has a long history. This may be due to the fact that Meusburger is well-known in the region, especially for its all-round service and heat-treated for stress relief steel. Even for complex requirements, Meusburger offers the best quality in special machining.

For Dorner, there is another reason for the many years of co-operation: outstanding teamwork. Peter Nußbaumer, Head of Special Machining, is the ideal contact. What’s more, MERSEN was also very impressed by Meusburger’s online tools. Dorner concluded: “Working with the colour table standard eliminates the need for 2D drawings for the design departments. This saves us a lot of time. Meusburger’s clear and well-arranged website their online technical tips, which are always up to date, are tremendously helpful for us. In addition, we are always satisfied with how professionally the orders are handled, we feel that we are in very good hands with Meusburger. The fast service, the collegial co-operation and the consistent contacts are what particularly stand out from our years of work with Meusburger.”

MERSEN is also satisfied with Meusburger’s constant availability and high-quality products. The standard parts manufacturer has scored points right from the start with MERSEN with their large warehouse. Dorner added: “When things need to happen quickly, Meusburger is there and ready. We are happy to have a partner that we can rely on any time.”

We acknowledge and are mindful that Chico State stands on lands that were originally occupied by the first people of this area, the Mechoopda, and we recognize their distinctive spiritual relationship with this land, the flora, the fauna, and the waters that run through campus.

Founded in 1891, the MERSEN Group now has a remarkable 60 production facilities in more than 35 countries with a total of 6,800 employees. The company covers a number of economic sectors from electronics, energy and transport to process engineering and the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Their main business focuses on graphite-based corrosion resistant equipment, carbon brushes for industrial electric motors, insulating graphite for high-temperature applications and industrial fuses.

When Watkins learned of the lab’s efforts, he initiated the subsequent partnership offered to leverage the University’s design and manufacturing expertise and, if needed, its 3D printers and plastic injection molding machines to help with the project. He said that despite the circumstances, he’s grateful to be able to help by putting his engineering training to good use.

More than a dozen faculty, students, and community members stepped up to volunteer their own 3D printers to produce face shield frames to help protect healthcare employees working the front lines. Each piece takes approximately an hour to print, and the community volunteers began printing parts in mid-April, using the design template provided by the University.

Modifying a face shield frame template initially made publicly available by Georgia Tech, faculty from CSU, Chico’s College of Engineering, Computer Science and Construction Management and the College of Natural Sciences, as well as colleagues from Meriam Library, worked closely with Enloe representatives to finalize a design the hospital approved as effective and safe. Idea Fab Labs is producing the plastic face shields that snap onto the frames.

Joachim Dorner, Designer at MERSEN, said: “The wide range is a huge bonus because all our requirements are covered by one supplier. We buy not only special machining and steel but also E-parts and workshop equipment from Meusburger.”

Individuals interested in supporting the 3-D printing project can email Ayars at eayars@csuchico.edu to get access to the template and details on how to drop off completed frames at Idea Fab Labs.

“This is a community effort, it’s not just the University,” said Greg Watkins, chair of CSU, Chico’s Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering and Sustainable Manufacturing. “Everybody wants to do their part to help.”