Cricut DIY Face Shield - Uses Binder Covers, 65 Cents Per Shield!

Video instructions here: https://youtu.be/HBqDmkmiI9E

Load this up in Cricut Design Space here: https://design.cricut.com/landing/project-detail/5e9aac660d19f20980844ee2

Here's a face shield that can be cut using your Cricut cutting machine (Maker or Explore Air 2) or laser cutter. Each shield costs around 65 cents in parts and doesn't require elastic, foam, or 3D-printed parts. All you need are two clear binder covers and a Velcro tie. It can be flat packed and assembled when needed, which means you can store hundreds on a shelf in a closet.

It features a cap to protect the top of your head. The front shield is wider and longer than most DIY shields, protecting a larger area. The cap is open in the back to help prevent fogging.

This project yields two complete shields for every three sheets of clear binder cover, sized of 11"x17"x .007". Other clear plastics work too.
Each sheet takes just over 3 minutes to cut, meaning that you can make two complete shields in about 10 minutes on the Maker.

Parts:

• Cricut Maker or Cricut Explore Air 2 or laser cutter. https://www.cricut.com/
• Clear Binder Covers, .007" thick (7 mil), 11"x17". 3 sheets makes 2 face shields. https://www.binding101.com/clear-gloss-report-covers (Select 11"x17", 7 mil, Unpunched, With Tissue.)
• Velcro ties, 1 per face shield. 6" long, no wider than 0.5". https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YBV7PQ9/

If printing with a Cricut, use the Fine Point Blade and a StandardGrip 12"x24" mat. I use two mats, so I can offload/reload one sheet while the other is cutting.

For my Cricut Maker, I use the Cricut setting for "Acetate" at default pressure. Feel free to experiment to see what works best for you.

If you print this with a laser cutter, you may need to modify the SVG files. I created them with Inkscape. I had to change the scaling in order to properly-scale in Cricut Design space, so the scale may be off for you. Here's what the length and widths of the objects SHOULD be:

CricutFaceShield1of2.svg:
Width:15.51", 394.07mm
Height: 10.59", 268.97mm

CricutFaceShield2of2.svg:
Width:16.03", 407.08mm
Height: 10.38", 263.7mm

This project started as a remix of the New York University Open Face PPE Shield, designed for laser cutters, not Cricut machines. The great innovation of that project was the minimalist way in which the front headstrap kept the shield from getting too close to the face. My shield uses that innovation, but I changed nearly every other aspect. You can see the original project here: https://open-face-ppe.now.sh

This is licensed under a Creative Commons -- Attribution license. If you remix, be sure to credit the original team at the link above. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/