Mask clips

This document lives on the official site; what follows is copied from it. Read the original here.

This page captures information about the Mask Clip PPE activity happening in Makespace during April 2020.

If you want to request mask clips, email Covid19.visor.requests@makespace.org

Introduction

Healthcare workers are now having to wear surgical masks for long periods, and the tension from their elastic can cause ear pain. For many users the masks also do not naturally fit well (meaning they can leak air, reducing their effectiveness), so users must tie knots in the elastic to increase the tension, further exasperating the pain.

Addenbrooke’s asked Makespace to help develop a disposable clip to improve fit and comfort.

Design & Production

A range of designs were explored, prototyped and refined based on user feedback. The favoured design was then produced in large quantities at Makespace (~50k units), in parallel with being transferred to high volume production.

Documentation

All the key documents are available on GitHub:

https://github.com/Makespace/mask-clips/

The following directories are included:

• Requirements – The device specification, regulations and risk assessments
• Design Files – The mask clip design files
• Materials – The materials and data sheets
• Production – Manufacturing Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), Training and Worker/Batch Tracking
• Documentation – The accompanying documentation and labelling for shipping

The Manufacturing SOP is the key document describing the whole process, and the place to start if you want to learn about the process.

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