Author: correllcoaching

Maker Communities Respond in Times of Crisis

Published in the Independence Daily Reporter April 2020

Jim Correll, director Fab Lab ICC at Independence Community College, Independence Kansas

It wasn’t long, back in March, after the COVID-19 situation became serious, they started coming. Emails and tags in social media to Fab Lab ICC colleague Tim Haynes and I about 3D printing being used to solve various related problems. From valves and manifolds for ventilators to a substitute for N95 masks. I reviewed most with interest even though Fab Lab ICC, like the rest of the Independence Community College (ICC) campus, was closed on March 18 until at least May 15. Those kinds of Internet stories are always kind of vague and I wondered “OK, so if I did want to print solutions, how would we go about figuring out who would use it?” Besides, would clinical people want to use a maker-space-made solution? So, I really didn’t give much thought to trying to print solutions, especially given the Lab closure, but the emails and tags kept coming and they became more specific.

Prompting Us to Act

A key email that tipped our scale came from our U.S. Senator Jerry Moran’s office asking us to consider getting involved. It even included 3D plans from another maker space for making substitute masks for the N95. Tim reviewed and wondered if the required N95 filter material would be readily available. No use printing mask frames if the filter material was not available.

Meanwhile During an Iowa Zoom Call

Meanwhile, I had a scheduled Zoom call with a young man in Iowa. Anthony Riesen had attended our Maker Space Boot Camp last September while working with our good friend at North Iowa Area Community College, Tim Putnam. Anthony was helping Tim develop a plan to convert some of their existing technical training space into more of a community maker space. Tim (Putman) and Anthony had invited me to come to Iowa in April to share our Fab Lab ICC experience at an event they were planning to inspire maker space startups in northern Iowa. This zoon call was to decide whether to hold the conference as planned albeit by zoom or to postpone. In the conversation with Anthony before others joined the call, he mentioned that his dad worked at a hospital and they were ready to 3D print a substitute N95 mask. He sent me a video by a doctor at the University of Connecticut, Harford, Christopher Wiles, a first-year resident passionate about 3D printing. His design uses furnace filter material.

Moving Forward

Now, there was no reason not to move forward. Not only did we have a solution developed by a doctor, but it used commonly available filter material. Tim Haynes retrieved the printers from our Fab Lab, set them up in his basement, and went to work on the first prototypes. I retrieved one of our lasers so we’d have a means of precision cutting of plastics. Once we got a few of the masks in use at our area institutions, we thought, we could take steps to print more.

One of our area health care providers told us they had plenty of masks but couldn’t get face shields. So, while we were still trying to develop a workable, comfortable face mask, we pivoted a bit to work on producing a light-weight face shield with disposable clear screens.

PPE and People’s Need to Help

Our efforts at producing PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) have continued. On one hand, we keep hearing reports of millions of pieces of PPE being produced while on the other hand, we keep hearing from people in need of PPE.

Before we got involved, we kept hearing the supply chain was catching up, but it kept not catching up. We’ve delivered a total of 130 face shields, all 3D printed. We’re working on a process to use resin casting to make the headbands instead of the slower 3D printing process. Besides being faster, anyone willing to learn a fairly simple process could help with production by casting these face-shield headbands in their garage or work-shop—no need for a 3D printer.

Matching Need with Those Wishing to Help

As we’ve moved forward in our efforts, we see social media reports of makers all over the United States becoming involved in the effort to produce PPE. We believe there are many in our region who want to help with the effort, but they are not sure what to do. A few may have 3D printers; many have sewing machines (that could be used to sew auxiliary masks.) We’ve developed a COVID-19 web page at www.fablabicc.org that matches PPE needs with those that have the means to help fill those needs. Such a page explains that there continue to be shortages of PPE all over our region and that there are a maker and DIY people all over our region willing to help. The page takes input from those needing the PPE and also input from those willing to help. We review the information and attempt to match up the areas of need with those willing to help.

We are learning of needs beyond our region from people who have family all over. Our ICC history professor has a daughter interning at Mt. Sinai in New York. One of the doctors there asked for samples of our face shields. We learned from one of our Verizon STEM girls and her mother that they have cousin doctors in Mexico working in a hospital that’s left them to find their own PPE. We delivered to Michelle Carranco and her mother, Maria, a sample mask, and a few face shields for them to send to the cousins to try out.

It’s not just front-line health care providers who need the PPE. We’ve heard from first responders, home health care providers, and even a funeral home director. A nursing home director has indicated a need for masks and gowns. At the time of this posting, the pandemic seems to be starting on the downside of the curve, yet the call of shortage continues.

There will be many useful hacks and innovations resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. More importantly, the medical industry might learn some things from the maker community; that we don’t always need to spend 10 years of research and development to bring products, especially devices and apparatus to the marketplace.

In the current shortage of (PPE) the maker community has come forward to help fill the shortage and provide new designs for new solutions while the supply chain catches up.

We won’t ever know exactly what will be in short supply during a crisis. From our perspective as a maker space, one of the best concepts that could come from this pandemic is the discovery that, in an emergent situation, the maker community can be useful and nimble in providing short term solutions while the supply chain catches up. Every community should have a Fab Lab or maker space.

Cutline:

Michelle Carranco, one of our Verizon STEM girls and her mother, Maria, reached out to the camp director, Joanne Smith, telling of her two cousin doctors in Madero/Tampico, Mexico whose hospital told them to find their own PPE. We made 4-face shields and one pliable breathing mask for them to try out. Maria and Michelle will send them by overnight shipping tomorrow.

Jim Correll is the director of Fab Lab ICC at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship on the campus of Independence Community College. He can be reached at (620) 252-5349, by email at jcorrell@indycc.edu or Twitter @jimcorrellks. Archive columns and podcast at jimcorrell.com.

Is More Marketing What You Really Need?

Published in the Independence Daily Reporter April 2020

Jim Correll, director Fab Lab ICC at Independence Community College, Independence Kansas

As the debate about when and how to restart our economy begins, our small businesses, and big ones too, will be clamoring to market their goods and services to us hoping to regain some of the business lost during the pandemic. We should use this time to start thinking about ways to distinguish our businesses from our competitors and really make ourselves unique and exceptional. It would be best to make these improvements in our offerings before the big marketing push as I pointed out in this column about three years ago.

Recognizing the Need for More Marketing

One of the first things many small business owners say they need is more marketing or help with marketing. For most, better marketing promises to be the key for more sales, hence better profits and a more successful business. Yet for many businesses, actually whether new and small or older and bigger, more marketing is not really what they need; right now. More marketing bringing in more customers before a business is ready exposes more customers to less than stellar service.

Have you ever gone to a restaurant’s grand opening only to be greatly disappointed with the overall experience? Many times, a well-meaning manager or owner, of a restaurant or other type of business, will go to great lengths to market a grand opening that corresponds closely to the opening day of the business. The marketing efforts may include press releases, advertising, email blasts by the local Chamber, and of course a big effort to spread the word on social media. The big event comes, and employees are overwhelmed by the crowds that result from the marketing efforts. The crowd of customers is disappointed as the business fails to meet, let alone exceed their expectations. A great marketing effort at this time can result in three to five times as many people being disappointed as compared to a “soft” grand opening without all the buzz and fanfare. Future marketing efforts have to be three to five times bigger and more expensive, to attract all those customers disappointed by the initial grand opening effort.

Create the Positive Customer Experience First

What the business above needed was not more marketing, but a chance to figure out how to create positive customer experience; excellence in quality and service. A “soft” opening, maybe inviting a very few friends and family members, would give restaurant owners and staff a chance to work out logistical kinks in service without disappointing a large population of new customers.

I’m not just picking on restaurants. Many businesses, of all types and sizes, go to great lengths to bring in new customers while they don’t have their processes in place to ensure the exceptional customer experience. Larger companies and institutions have marketing and sales departments whose goals are to bring customers in the door, whether or not the production side of the house is ready to serve them. A perfect example is cellular and communications companies. They are all great at marketing, but many are not so great at delivering the customer promise.

Same Goes for Fab Lab ICC

Sometimes people coming to Fab Lab ICC for the first time will say something like “So many people don’t know about this Fab Lab. You need more marketing to get the word out.” I always thank them but then say we are happy with the organic growth in membership resulting in word-of-mouth. We want to work to develop and tweak our processes to improve the member experience before doing more marketing to bring in more members.

So, most businesses need more marketing at some point, but we all should be working to improve the customer experience so that when our increased marketing efforts bring in new customers, they won’t be disappointed.

PPE and People’s Need to Help

Published in the Independence Daily Reporter April 2020

Jim Correll, director Fab Lab ICC at Independence Community College, Independence Kansas

Our efforts at producing PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) continue. PPE includes such things as breathing masks of a type called N95, face shields, gloves, and protective clothing. On one hand, we keep hearing reports of millions of pieces of PPE equipment being produced while on the other hand, we keep hearing from people in need of PPE. We recently gave an ER nurse prototypes of our face mask and face shield for her to try out as she had not received any PPE from her employer. (Please keep in mind this column publishes one week after writing and with COVID-19, a lot can change in one week.)

Gearing Up with Fab Lab Closed

Before we got involved, we kept hearing the supply chain was catching up, but it kept not catching up. Since the Fab Lab is closed, colleague Tim Haynes and I each took 3D printers and a laser home. We started working on masks that would be a substitute for the N95. One area health provider told us they had some N95’s but could not get face shields. So, we found a 3D file for headbands and bought 1000 clear polypropylene report covers. I developed a laser file to cut the custom hole locations to snap the visor onto the headband. We’ve delivered a total of 90 headbands and 450 clear shields. Now, we’ve found a new file that uses standard 3-ring binder spacing for mounting the shield onto the headband so we’re switching to that. Now I can use a 3-hole punch and mechanical corner-rounder to prepare the face shields bypassing the more time consuming and smellier laser process. The latter design lends itself to resin casting so now we’re going to learn to make a silicone mold and pour plastic resin to make the headbands instead of the slower 3D printing process. Anyone willing to learn a fairly simple process could cast these face-shield headbands in their garage or home work-shop—no need for a 3D printer.

Matching Need with Those Wishing to Help

Gary Schoeniger, nationally recognized leader of the Entrepreneurial Mindset Program and founder of the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program, contacted us. He thinks there are hundreds in our region who want to help with the effort, but they don’t know what to do. A few may have 3D printers; many have sewing machines (that could be used to sew auxiliary masks.) He suggested developing a web page that matches PPE needs with those that have the means to help fill those needs. Such a page would explain that there continue to be shortages of PPE all over the United States and that there are a maker and DIY people all over the United States willing to help but not sure where the needs are or how they can help. The page would take input from those needing the PPE and also input from those willing to help. We would review the information and attempt to match up the areas of need with those willing to help with the needs. We would also provide instruction and materials so that anyone with a desire to help and a willingness to learn would be able to learn how. There would also be a provision to take donations to, in some cases, help defray the cost of materials.

We have launched the beginning versions of such a page at www.fablabicc.org. Look for the COVID-19 link.

It’s not just front-line health care providers who need the PPE. We’ve heard from first responders, home health care providers, and even a funeral home director. All need PPE as part of their daily function and all cannot get the PPE they need. So, even if the supply chain catches up next week, hopefully, we will have helped some in the interim and learned some things that will be handy in the future.

Hackers Build the World

Published in the Independence Daily Reporter April 2020

Jim Correll, director Fab Lab ICC at Independence Community College, Independence Kansas

There are many definitions for hacks and hackers. While the most common use of hacker may be in reference to someone who gains illegal access to someone’s computer or computer account, in the maker world, a hacker is used to describe someone who tries to make useful things from the tools, materials, and resources that happen to be available. So, a hacker might hack an existing device, tool, or material to make something useful for a current purpose. It’s this kind of hacker we’ll discuss today, not the kind that steals your identity.

In the older days, we called them tinkerers. Today we call them hackers. Nearly all the great innovations in the world came from hackers. A college drop out named Bill Gates saw the value in an operating system discarded by IBM and created MS-DOS and a company called Microsoft. Larry Page and Sergey Brin developed a search engine in a garage and called it Google. On a side note, a very successful, 100-year-old venture capital company called Bessemer Venture Partners passed on opportunities to invest in Google six times. Sometimes the new hacks are not recognized by the big players in the marketplace. The number of hacks and hackers increases in times of adversity.

There will be more useful hacks and innovation than we could have imagined resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. More importantly, the medical industry might learn some things from the hackers; that we don’t need to depend on existing established companies to take 10 years of research and development to bring products, especially devices and apparatus to the marketplace.

In the current shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) hackers have come forward with designs for new solutions while the supply chain catches up. We keep being told that the supply chain is catching up, yet we keep hearing about the shortages, so we keep hacking.

Fab Lab ICC colleague, Tim Haynes and I haven’t really hacked anything new, but we are working to help alleviate the shortage. The cool think about the Fab Lab and maker movement was that it was built on sharing hacks from the beginning. Maker Spaces having certain capabilities in common, i.e. 3D printing and laser etching means that when a hacker, anywhere in the world, makes something useful, like the N95 mask substitute or the face shield, the design files can be emailed to other makers.

We started out working on the N95 substitute and are working through a problem. The 3D printed versions are rigid, heavy, and uncomfortable. Meanwhile, one of the medical institutions told us they had plenty of masks but it’s face shields they can’t get. So, we shifted primary focus while solving the mask problem and are producing 3D printed headbands and using the laser to cut holes in 8 ½ x 11 clear report covers to snap in place on the headbands to create a face shield. From Fab Labs and maker spaces to commercial 3D printing companies, we are trying to alleviate shortages as best we can while the big players in the market, retool to mass-produce PPE.

We won’t ever know exactly what will be in short supply during a crisis. Although I don’t know of any maker spaces that have figured out a way to hack a toilet paper solution, they are providing much-needed PPE across the country. From our perspective as a maker space, one of the best concepts that could come from this pandemic is the discovery that maker spaces can be useful and nimble in providing short term solutions while the supply chain catches up. Every community should have a Fab Lab or maker space.