The University of Delaware has partnered with major domestic manufacturers and community organizations to manufacture and distribute 30,000 of their unique HensNest Face Masks to at-risk individuals in the local area.

The HensNest was invented by the UD College of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical Engineering to address the shortage of higher respiratory protection face masks for the general public. The HensNest Face Mask features a reusable wireframe design that conforms tightly to the face and is used with replaceable, at-home filter materials, such as shop towels, tea towels and tote bags. Depending on the type of filter media that is used, the HensNest face mask provides four to 20 times the protection of surgical masks or sewn face masks. The masks are intended for use by medically at-risk individuals, their caretakers, or individuals who are at high exposure risk to coronavirus (COVID-19), such as grocery store workers and delivery persons.

Major manufacturers have stepped up to the plate to help mass produce HensNest face masks. Stratasys Corp (Minneapolis, Minnesota) and NegriBossi (New Castle, Delaware) are together producing 30,000 face mask frames at no cost; and Procter and Gamble (Dover, Delaware) and WB Mason (Newark, Delaware) have donated goods for packaging. Donate Delaware, a local nonprofit organization, registered as a 501(c)(3), is packaging and distributing the face masks, with Little Goat Coffee (Newark, Delaware) and The Journey Church (Newark, Delaware) serving as local distribution centers.

Additional information about The HensNest project can be found on the team’s website at: https://me.udel.edu/hensnest-3d-printed-face-mask/.

For more information, contact Julie Stewart, Director of Communications for the College of Engineering.