After hearing newscast after newscast about shortages of protective personal equipment for first responders and medical staff, a Santa Clarita father-son duo decided to take matters into their own hands, and start 3D-printing masks themselves.

Both special effects artists, A.J. Apone and his father, Allan, decided to work together to make as many face masks as they possibly could, putting their two 3D printers to work.

Apone searched out a design file for a two-part mask he could create in his 3D printer. Simple and with an easy fit, it would be a simple extra step to seal the plastic to prevent any errant bacteria.

According to A.J., the real game-changer was when he decided to include HEPA filters. After extensive research, discovered that he could use home HEPA filters or medical sterilization wraps, which are usually used to wrap surgical tools.

“There are no fibers locked in it, and sure enough, we tested them at home… I wore mine every day, and I had no issues breathing, so we graduated towards finding other filter systems,” said Apone. “Turns out it’s the exact same thing as the HEPA grade filter, so that validated my idea, it’s the same material.”

After further testing for building, sealing, and vacuum-packing the masks to ensure they were sterile, The Mask Initiative was ready to begin shipments, and the webpage was launched.

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According to Apone, grateful donors raised over $20,000 in 20 days to help support The Mask Initiative, with some people volunteering their own 3D printers for the project. These satellite printers bring the masks to Apone for quality control, cleaning and shipping. Other volunteers have begun contacting non-essential medical offices, such as cosmetic surgery centers, for excess medical sterilization wraps for the filters.

“I have people reaching out, asking how to help,” said Apone. “We’ve had an extreme amount of support, it’s incredible. It’s restoring my faith in humankind.”

Just two days before this interview, Apone was contacted by Michael Taback, owner of a  Canyon Country shopping center. Taback had heard of the mask initiative’s mission, and offered an empty space in his shopping plaza as a workshop, entirely rent-free for at least three months.

By the end of Thursday, The Mask Initiative will have made approximately 300 masks, according to Apone. All masks are made with medical-grade plastic, then sealed, washed, and vacuum-sealed to protect their new owners.

Apone noted that while The Mask Initiative has received many requests from civilians and the general public, that they are not the priority at the moment.

“My priority pile is huge, I got over 100 orders in 24 hours, and those range from one mask to 300 masks per order. I understand that you are scared and that you are scared for your families, I’m scared too,” said Apone. “But other people have the ability to wear a bandana if they need to, this is for people who do need protection because they are on the front lines.”

Apone stated that although he would never claim that his masks are medical-grade, wearing one is better than wearing no protective equipment at all.

Apone said that although much focus has been put on first responders, other essential workers such as grocery store staff are also considered a priority.

“The people in grocery stores are just as essential. They are face-to-face with people all day long and the people they’re dealing with might be sick and not even know it yet,” said Apone.

At this time, The Mask Initiative is able to print about 50-60 masks in a day, but Apone hopes to double output by next week, as several new printers are being added to the production.

Apone spent between $7,000 to $8,000 on start-up costs, ensuring that there were enough printers and materials to keep the initiative going.

Although materials are still available, Apone has noticed that it has become more difficult to acquire black filament, which is favored by law enforcement. Apone personally favors other, brighter, colors as “it brings a little light into a really dark time.”

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The Mask Initiative has made donations to first responders and medical professionals across the country, from the Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut, to the Providence Portland Medical Center in Oregon, to Henry Mayo Newhall in their own community of Santa Clarita.

“This all came out of nowhere, I just saw a hole I could bandaid,” said Apone. I’m not trying to change the industry. I saw a gap, and my 3D printer was just sitting there and I wondered if there was a way I could help.”

Essential workers in need of masks, or those interested in donating to the cause can reach out via The Mask Initiative website.

“There’s still a large amount of people that aren’t taking this seriously, and when a country says ‘sorry we’re closed,’ … that’s when you need to take this seriously,’ said Apone. “One way or another this is going to affect basically everyone who exists.”

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