Sunderland student makes PPE with 3D printer after GCSE exams are abandoned over coronavirus

Now the 16-year-old from Ashbooke looks set to build on the hundreds of plastic visors he has already turned out using a 3D printer he got for Christmas years ago.

He has another couple of printers ordered to help give the production line a boost.

The headsets, which take 90 minutes to print out, can then be attached to a piece of acetate to create another level of protection by those on the front line, with care homes and a GP surgery among those he has helped so far.

The project is helping Theo, a pupil at Newcastle’s Royal Grammar School, keep busy after his GCSE exams were cancelled, with fellow 3D printing enthusiast Alex Thompson, from Washington, also lending a hand as they use shared designs.

Theo, who plans to study maths, further maths, physics and art at sixth form, has also been helped by dad Nicholas, a consultant at Sunderland Eye Infirmary, with support from mum Dr Monica Dimigen, a GP at St Bede’s Medical Centre in Roker, and brothers Benji, 11, and Alex, 14.

He said: “I’m big into engineering and when our GCSEs were cancelled, there wasn’t much for me to do and I thought I could make some visors, as my mum’s a GP.

“I delivered those and we realised the scale of the problem in the care homes, so I did some for my grandmother’s care home.

“Part of the fun of engineering is trying to fix a problem and get things back working normally, but it’s nice to be able to help.”

Nicholas added: “When the GCSEs were called off, it was shame because it’s what he's been working for and he was looking forward to them, it was a bit frustrating.

“We’re really proud of him and it’s great he’s been able to use his skills.”

Theo has raised more than £3,000 to fund the project, with more donations welcome via https://www.gofundme.com/f/covid19-visor-fund with another to go live soon at https://www.spacehive.com/covid-19-visor-fund to boost the efforts.

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