The key was making a mask that would fit the face of an average human being. The soft, rubbery silicone part is pressed onto the face to create a tight seal. It uses ABS plastic and then smoothed out for a mirror-like finish.
Kolby Hanley, 22, is the CEO and owner of UltraView Archery, which makes parts for bows. He has used 3D printers in his warehouse to help develop a one-size-fits-all respirator mask that can be downloaded and made from 3D printers anywhere in the world.Hanley said the mask is made in three separate parts. He said each part takes about an hour to make. So any place that has multiple 3D printers can make several masks per day.
"Archery is a sport where there's a lot of equipment you use, and it all needs to be precise and it needs to work all the time," Hanley said."We've been programmed to make high-precision parts that fit a human being and are comfortable. So we know the pressure of deadline and make sure these parts work just right."
Hanley was just 10 when he crafted his own archery sets from small trees in the backyard of his Vermont home. His parents finally bought him a bow, and he shot arrows all day and night. He became one of the top junior compound archers in the world, winning junior world championships along the way. His most recent success was a team bronze at the 2017 Rosario World Archery Youth Championships in Argentina.
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