As the COVID-19 pandemic has dominated world news headlines, it has also inspired Molex employee Samuel De Jesus to undertake a personal project — 3D printing face shields to protect our frontline hospital workers.
“I watched one interview with a doctor who was talking about the need for more face shields. He mentioned people were 3D printing additional equipment and donating them to healthcare teams and that caught my attention. Since I have a 3D printer at home, I began searching online to learn how to make them myself.”
Born and raised in Connecticut, De Jesus pursued a career in engineering and over the last 25 years, he has grown his skills in quality control and manufacturing engineering. His story with Molex begins about three years ago, where he joined the Tampa Bay – Pinellas Park team as a metrology tech. But his role involves so much more – from teaching himself CAD to supporting Molex with 3D drawings and modeling. De Jesus also specializes in reverse engineering using NX.
“I’ve always been interested in teaching myself something new to provide even more value to projects or the company. I also have a lot of hobbies, one of them being designing and modeling my own parts, then making them on my 3D printer,” he explains.
His love of being self-taught and innovating has proved especially valuable now, as he is hard at work aiding in the fight against COVID-19.
DeJesus adds, “After seeing the news interview, I did some research online and I found someone in New Jersey who could teach people how to 3D print FDA-approved face shields. I wrote to him and asked how I could help print shields myself.”
