Free plans for easy-to-make face shields you can send to your friends

No power tools required

You can make this with a ruler, a paper punch, a craft knife and a small number of materials

Can be sent flat in post

The face shield can be posted in a standard envelope for an A4 insert, and pops up into shape

Comfortable fit

The curved headband accommodates eye glasses. Tying the ribbon allows the wearer to adjust size to fit

See how the face shield arrives in post and pops-up

Tools & Materials

A generic square placeholder image with rounded corners in a figure.

Sharp Craft Knife

Any sharp blade will suffice

Steel Rule

Any ruler with a straight edge to guide the cut will suffice

Paper Punch

Single Hole
A leather punch or a hand drill will work too

Regular Printer

A4 Inkjet or Laser
Plans can be marked with pencil and ruler, but a printer will save time

Clear Acetate

A4 size, 0.25mm thick
Often used in offices, but other clear plastic film can be used. One and a quarter sheets needed per face shield.

Here is exactly what we sourced - Clear Comb Binding Cover 250 Micron A4 Pack 100 from Hunt Office. It should be possible to source from many online office supply companies.
huntoffice.ie

Fabric Ribbon

3 feet (90cm) long, Quarter Inch wide
A lot of alternatives could be used like elastic cord, silicone tubing, or thin webbing. It needs to be wide enough to be comfortable, but narrow enough to fit through punched holes.

Double-sided Sticky Tape

Quarter Inch wide, 60cm long
Other double-sided tape or regular sticky tape will do too.

A double-sided Acrylic PET tape was recommended by Malachy Brennan with Mailcraft Supplies, and it works nicely.
mailcraft.ie

Manila Envelopes

The common size for A4 sheets.
A Manila or C4 sized envelope will be large enough to hold one to three face shields.

Clean environment

To avoid any potential risk of contamination, consider wearing a surgical mask or face mask when making these for others. Wash your hands frequently.

Download Crown Visor Plans for Free

Step-by-Step Instructions

  • Set up a clean space

    Prepare an area where you can safely make face shields. Clean down all surfaces and tools that you need. Wear a surgical mask or face mask, and wash your hands frequently.

  • Download and print the free plans

    Make sure to print out the plans on A4 paper, at 100% scale. Double check this by measuring the printout with a ruler.

  • Align and cut the acetate

    Place one clear plastic sheet over the printed plans. Cut the straight lines for the headband, and the curves on the bottom edge.

  • Punch the holes

    Use a paper punch to make the holes marked by the 6mm diameter circles. A hand drill or leather punch will work as an alternative.

  • Cut the second sheet

    Take another sheet of A4 acetate, and slice into four strips lengthways so they each measure 297mm x 52.5mm.

  • Stick this long strip onto the first sheet of acetate

    Use double-sided sticky tape, or regular tape to stick the visor and the long strip together, aligning both pieces with the top edges and sides.

  • Thread through the ribbon

    Follow the illustration to thread through the ribbon from one side of the visor through to the other, looping around in the centre. 

  • Clean and pack flat

    Wipe down the completed face shield and slide into its own C4 envelope (or zip-lock bag). A standard C4 sized envelope will be large enough to hold one to three face shields.

  • Post to a friend and repeat

    Who will be on your list to get the face shields you make?

  • Tell us
    how you
    get on!

Please let us know when you make Crown Visor face shields by sharing photos on social media and tagging with @fluidedge. Thank you!

Extra add ons

Cord Stop

A cord toggle will allow for the easier adjustment of the ribbon strap for a more comfortable fit for the wearer.

Foam Padding

Creating padding from a sheet of 2mm EVA or neoprene foam for the inside of the headband for more comfort over longer periods.

Outer Ear Protectors

If you are wearing a surgical mask in addition to this face shield, you can loop the ribbon through the outer ear protectors marked on the plans.

References

  • MaskForce, a resource for manufacturing DIY emergency PPE supplies
    maskforce.org

  • Badger Shield, a COVID-19 Medical Face Shield
    making.engr.wisc.edu

  • Operation #BadgerShield, Jesse Darley, Director of Mechanical Engineering & Principal, Delve Design
    delve.com

  • Face shields for infection control: A review
    ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

  • European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
    ecdc.europa.eu

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA
    cdc.gov

  • Hierarchy of Controls, PPE is least effective intervention at controlling exposures to occupational hazards, CDC
    cdc.gov

  • Sequence For Putting On Personal Protective Equipment & How To Safely Remove Personal Protective Equipment, CDC
    cdc.gov

  • Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic, WHO, World Health Organisation
    who.int

  • Coronavirus (COVID-19), HSE, Health Executive Authority, Ireland
    hse.ie

  • “The Commission is also putting forward a Commission Recommendation on the conformity assessment and market surveillance procedures within the context of the COVID-19. This will enable, in particular, to increase the supply of certain types of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as disposable facemasks to civil protection authorities, even if it is not CE-marked, without compromising our health and safety standards.”
    ec.europa.eu

  • Swedish 3D-printed protective visor
    3dverkstan.se

  • Prusa Face Shield - A prototype face shield that we developed. In three days, we went through dozens of prototypes and two verifications with the Czech Ministry of Health.
    prusaprinters.org

  • OpenFacePPE Face Shield V1
    open-face-website.now.sh

  • Solin Flatpack Face Shield V8
    sites.google.com/cps.edu

  • HappyShield Curved Crease Origami Face Shield For Infection Control
    happyshield.github.io

  • Wearing a face mask for an extended period of time. Sew a button to a headband to keep from destroying your ears.
    reddit.com

  • #Arquitecta #Coronavirus #ProteccionMayor (a very simple idea, presented stylishly )
    twitter.com

  • COVID-19 Face Shield PPE
    designthatmatters.org

  • Covid Med Supply - We Need To Help Each Other
    covidmedsupply.org

  • Open Source Ventilator (OSV) Ireland - looking at other projects too, including face shields / splash shields
    opensourceventilator.ie

  • Table of COVID-19 Visor Projects Ireland, by Ian Walton of NCAD
    inearnest.ie

About Crown Visor Design

The global pandemic has given rise to a worldwide shortage of protective face shields. Sourcing materials and tools to make them has also become challenging.

I wanted to design a face shield that required the least amount of different materials which could be easily sourced. I hoped I could come up with the design that could be made by many people with basic craft skills, without requiring power tools or specialist technology like 3D Printers or Laser Cutters.

After some trial and error, the current design requires one and one quarter sheets of A4 acetate, adhesive tape to hold them together, and 3 feet of ribbon to hold the curved shape and tie around your head.

The only tools required are a sharp knife, a ruler and a paper punch.

Thank you to Síle, Pam, Kate, Keith, Helen, Gillian, Sean, Giulia, Simon, Sabrina, John, Mal, Paddy, Maria Angela, Libby, Ciaran, Peter, Colman, Enda, Pearse, as well as everyone volunteering on the OSV-X project.
Thank you too to the people at Delve Design who pioneered the Badger Shield design, and the people behind MaskForce who inspired me.

To everyone around the world who uses these plans, thank you and stay well.

Conor Cahill 
@conorc