Disposable Plastic Gown production - as perfected

by the makers at Blivande and Makerspace Stockholm

blivande.com

For more information and instructions in Spanish, Arabic, French and Swedish, follow this link.

Overview

• This document describes how to set up a small factory for producing single use plastic gowns - with these materials and instructions, a team of three persons can produce around 250 gowns per day.�
• There is a huge need for personal protective equipment (PPE) all over the world and the normal production capacity is so far not coping. �
• Ideally PPE should of course be produced in sterile environments and with stringent quality control, but currently a lot of healthcare providers are accepting less rigorous solutions - a lot better than nothing�
• Since these gowns will be used in a medical setting it is important to do all you can to keep the work environment as hygienic as possible.

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Tools - welding

A Hot Air Gun costs around 20-50$ and is available in most hardware stores. Use a ruler (ideally metal), or a straight piece of hard plastic or wood to hold the plastic flat and protect the parts of the gown that should not get heated up when welding the seams

Fold the baking paper and place it on both sides (over and under) the seam as you iron it using the “wool” setting.

Hot Air Gun

OR

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Iron + Baking paper

We recommend using a Hot Air Gun for welding as it is fast and simple. �If you don’t have access to one, the welds can be made using an iron and baking paper

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Tools - Cutting

Get spare blades - it makes cutting much easier with a sharp knife

Box Cutter

Materials - Cutting template

Use tape to protect the edges of the template - they will get worn by the box cutter

Cardboard will also work if nothing else exists, and worst case you can just tape the paper cutouts together

Some kind of board

Duct tape

Jigsaw

Printer

• 1,5 by 1,0 meters
• 2-8 mm thick (consider weight)
• Plywood (best), OSB, MDF, acrylic plastic etc.�

Materials - Hygiene

Sterile, ready-to-use 70% Isopropyl or regular ethanol alcohol spray for disinfecting surfaces.

Spray the surface with the alcohol based disinfectant. Let dry out by itself for 5 minutes.

Disinfectant Spray

Cleaning Spray

Regularly clean the surface with a cloth and all purpose cleaning spray OR +60% ethanol.

Use to avoid contaminating the gowns with droplets from coughing, sneezing or breathing.��Studies have shown that even asymptomatic and pre-symtomatic carriers of COVID-19 can be contagious - so take extra care!

Face mask & Face shield &

Plastic Gloves

Materials - Plastics

Best case, you can get the plastic rolls donated by a friendly hardware store. �Check these specs with the provider if you are unsure.

• Age-resistant plastic (for use inside walls when insulating)
• Preferably* not from recycled plastic
• Width: 2000mm (folded into a 1 meter double roll)
• Thickness: 0,035mm-0,11 mm (Age-resistant is normally > 0.1 mm)

Examples of plastic that works for this (examples from the Swedish market):

• Krauta Täckfolie T-Emballage Transparent 0,07mm 2x50m
• Beijer PLASTFOLIE 0,10X2000MM 50M

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* So called recycled plastic can (rarely) cause slight allergic reactions in hypersensitive individuals. Many recipients will accept also recycled plastic when there is nothing else available.

Materials - Packing

• 1 liter ziplock bags (IKEA has been known to donate for this cause)
• Friendly notes sending love to the healthcare professionals
• Note stating the production date (to calculate +3 day quarantine period before use) & that the gown is not sterile.

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Hygiene

As the gowns will be used in a health care setting, it is important to take care to make the production environment as hygienic as possible.

• Wear a face mask and/or face shield + plastic gloves (regularly changed)
• Make sure the plastic is clean and does not have holes in it
• Rinse the plastic roll off (in the shower) before starting
• Cut away a length of plastic to avoid dirt and damaged parts of the roll
• Before starting, wipe down the work surfaces with cleaning spray, then spray with alcoholic disinfectant and let air dry. Repeat during the day before taking breaks.
• Establish routines also for toilets, kitchen and other common areas. Provide clear information in regards to best practices around personal hygiene, phone use etc.�

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Preparation - building the cutting template

Instructions and measurements for the gown template here - �

Thank you Stockholm Makerspace for the excellent design!

Cutting

1. Roll out a length of plastic of 2,5m and cut
2. Repeat until you have 4-8 layers - make sure to align the layers carefully
3. Place the template with the back snugly against the edge of the plastic
4. Cut along all the edges - don’t forget the hole for thumbs and slits for the head and waistbands
5. Turn the template 180 degrees and cut a second set of gowns
6. This will give you two variants -
1. one where the seam in the front is already there thanks to the fold in the plastic
2. one where you will need to weld the seam along the long axis down the chest

Welding the chest seam

1. From 6b in the previous slide - one of the variants of the cutout will need to be welded along the long axis down the chest
2. Double check that the layers are aligned
3. Use a ruler or a straight piece of plastic to hold the seam flat and protect the plastic that should not get heated up
4. Angle the heat gun away from the gown at approx. a 45 degree angle and run it back and forward along the seam until the two layers melt together and fuse.��Be careful not to overheat the rest of the gown as that can make holes in the plastic.

Welding the arms

• Unfold the two layers
• Fold the arms double & align the seam allowance
• Use a ruler or a straight piece of plastic to hold the seam flat and protect the plastic that should not get heated up

3. Angle the heat gun away from the gown� at approx. a 45 degree angle and run it� back and forward along the seam until the� two layers melt together and fuse. �� Be careful not to overheat the rest of the� gown as that can make holes in the plastic.

Folding and packing the gown

1. Start by folding the arms in segments a little bit shorter than the width of the ziplock bag.
2. Fold the arms and gown in thirds - make sure it is a width that fits with the width of the ziplock bag.
3. Fold the gown into a bundle that fits in the bag. Squeeze the air out of the gown to make it fit better.
4. Fit the gown into the bag, squeeze the air our and close the bag carefully, making sure it is airtight.
1. Optionally: include a nice message in the bag.

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Finished product <3