RISE Makerspace in response to the pan-Cypriot makers call

The RISE Makerspace has responded to the pan-Cypriot makers call to produce personal protective equipment (PPE) and has been instrumental in the coordination of the effort in the city of Nicosia.

The need for protective gear by professionals was identified by the Makerspace personnel soon after the lockdown was announced on March 16, 2020. They immediately reached out to the makers community to offer their help. Soon after that, they were invited by CUT members to participate in the manufacturing of face shields using the Makerspace equipment. This maker/hacker initiative expanded to include makers from all over Cyprus. RISE Makerspace took the lead of the team that coordinated makers in Nicosia and arranged for the production and the distribution of masks to those that needed them most.

In addition, the RISE Makerspace is particularly proud for their collaboration with Studioandlab for the design of a mask that is durable, reusable and adjustable for maximum comfort. This was made possible through the use of a more versatile material (PETG) to make the laser cutting production more efficient and the face shields able to withstand multiple means of disinfection. In order to help increase the number and rate of production, RISE, through the Makerspace, provided other districts of Cyprus with PETG sheets in order to produce face shields using the laser cutting method.

More than one hundred people participated in the effort to meet the demand for face shields of health workers, policemen and others during the first four weeks of the lockdown. This group included engineers and designers, university instructors, researchers and professors as well as makers and researchers at other makerspaces and research centres. The RISE Makerspace has contributed with more than 700 reusable face shields and provided makers all over the island, with PETG sheets in order to produce additional masks. In total, the initiative has produced more than 3000 face shields.