iMakr of Industry City to donate eye shields to local hospitals, precincts

SUNSET PARK — An Industry City business is giving back during the coronavirus outbreak.

Giving back

Industry City based 3D printing and scanning store iMakr is creating hundreds of eye shields and donating them for essential workers across local hospitals.

iMakr business owner Jack Keum will be delivering and donating nearly 1,000 eye shields to NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn, Columbia Hospital Center and New York Presbyterian Hospital later this week.

Keum is combining forces with another local business owner who is laser cutting the plastic to fit into the shields themselves.

“We are producing eye shields to donate to local hospitals and frontline workers to fight COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. “Our first delivery was at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx and is headed next to NYU Langone, Columbia Hospital Center, and New York-Presbyterian Hospital.”

The response has been positive.

“We are so pleased to be able to do this and meet the overwhelming needs of hospitals,” he added. “By April 10, we expect to produce and donate 5,000 eye shields to local hospitals, NYPD and grocery stores.”

iMakr was founded in 2012 and operates the largest 3D printing and 3D scanning store in the world. By 2013, the first store opened in London, Paris and New York in 2014.

GoFundMe account

Keum also created a GoFundMe account to help aid the cause.

“We are a local small 3D printing team in Brooklyn producing face shields to donate to hospitals and frontline workers to fight the COVID-19 pandemic,” he wrote. “Currently, we are producing 500 face shields a day on our 100 printers and hoping to increase our production volume to meet the overwhelming needs of hospitals.”

He added that donations would help retain current employees and hire recently unemployed workers in the five boroughs and expand our manufacturing capacity.

They also cover the cost of the materials needed to produce the face shields (PLA plastic for 3D printer, PETG sheet visor, elastic band).

“We will also donate 25% of our output to other frontline workers such as NYPD, home health aides and grocery store workers to keep everyone safe,” Keum added. “Anything will help, we are in this together.”