East Meadow Chamber president 3D-prints face shields, ventilator part to help out in crisis

“Non-essential” businesses across New York have been forced to close by order of Gov. Andrew Cuomo to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

“All of our small businesses are struggling mightily right now,” said Michael Levy, the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce president. “It’s a tremendous struggle to get through a day, and I’m no different than other business.”

Levy owns Minuteman Press in Levittown. Although he is open, he has had fewer orders and projects because most customers are out of work, he said. The bulk of the printing he does now is for the Town of Hempstead and includes projects like signs, mailers and fliers.

With more time on his hands and his printers sitting idle, he said, “I wanted to help out where I could.” After reading news stories about people who had 3D-printed face shields for health care workers, he called his staff and said, “We’ve got work to do.”

Each year, the chamber of raises funds for the pediatric unit at Nassau University Medical Center with its Culinary Delights fundraiser. Once Levy began his new project, he called his connections at the hospital to see if they could use his shields.

After sharing photos and information about the project on his Facebook page, he started getting calls, texts and messages from health care workers who asked if he could make masks for them. In the last two weeks, he has produced and donated 25 face shields.

Levy isn’t stopping there. When he heard about a national shortage of ventilators for patients fighting the coronavirus, he learned about a key piece of the equipment that is needed. The Venturi valve, which connects to the facemask so oxygen can be delivered at a fixed concentration, must be replaced after each use.

He started printing copies of the part on Monday, and is sending them to a hospital in need.

The 3D printers use filament, which is a roll of plastic that Levy said looks like spaghetti. The filament is then melted and molded into a final product.

It takes roughly an hour to print each face shield, to which Levy must then add foam in order to cushion the mask against the forehead, as well as an elastic band, so it can be fastened around the user’s head. One Venturi valve takes three hours to print, but requires no further assembly.

Levy sends waivers to those who accept his products, “so they understand I’m not a medical supplier, just doing something I can,” he said. 

He has owned Levittown’s Minuteman Press since 2013, after meeting company representatives at a franchise trade show at the Javits Center in Manhattan. He bought the business from Steve Haller, a past chamber president who inspired Levy to get involved. 

Now in his second year as chamber president, Levy is helping East Meadow small businesses stay afloat through the pandemic. “It’s a tough time for everyone, and we want everyone to get some help in one way or another,” he said.