DUBAI: UAE-based social media influencer Soha Taha has created face mask ear supports for frontline workers amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The initiative follows images shared on social media of healthcare workers experiencing skin irritation and bruises from the extended wearing of face masks.
“We got inspired by an article we read online of how to print them at home if there is a 3D printer available,” Taha told Arab News. “And since my husband already loves creating stuff with his 3D printer, we felt the need to contribute to all the heroes working on the frontline and help ease their pain a little bit.”
It took the Egyptian fashion star, who boots over 702,000 Instagram followers, and her husband around a month to design “the most comfortable strap with the best material,” she said.
Taha gave credit to her husband, who is an IT engineer and has been working with 3D printers for over three years, for the effort he put into experimenting with the straps.
“Basically my husband does all the work. I only package it and send it to anyone in need. He’s the one who tries different materials, he’s the one who came up with the design as well, it’s his thing.”
To stay environmentally friendly, the duo’s lightweight mask straps are said to be 100 percent biodegradable.
Taha, who has so far made around 6,000 straps, said it takes around 60 minutes to print seven pieces.
Despite the large number of mask supports they have already produced, the couple felt the need to buy another 3D printer to keep up with the orders they were receiving.
“The first step is to design the piece we’re making on Autocad (the design and drafting software),” she said. “Then you upload the design into a slicing software to prepare it for the printer. We plug a flash drive, with the design on, into the printer and start the process.”
The challenge is calibrating the printer after every few prints to make sure the pieces come out straight and in a great quality, the 30-year-old entrepreneur added.
