During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Toronto Stamp Inc. pivoted to produce polycarbonate barriers (commonly known as sneeze guards) that help curb the spread of the virus. A government organization put out a tender for around 100 sets of custom barriers to be fabricated and installed on each workstation in one of their offices. Toronto Stamp Inc. aims to win the bid, and I was tasked with the design of the barriers.

The tender required the barrier to shield the workstation on three sides. It needed to stand 32" above the 72" wide desk, and be 48" deep. However, the size of the raw material sheet was limited to 48.5"x97", therefore material utilization was a challenge. In addition, the thin material was flexible, so reinforcements were needed to prevent excessive swaying of the barriers. Lastly, the fabrication, transportation and installation of the barriers all needed to be efficient so that the bid can be competitive.

Due to the size requirements, a sheet of raw material could accommondate one back piece or two side pieces. The minimum material consumption was then determined to be two sheets per set of barrier. To maintain this minimun material consumption, any additional support pieces would need to utilize the space left on either sheet.

To make the barriers more rigid, several reinforcement methods were tested. Simple FEA analysis was done in Solidworks to identify the optimal reinforcement methods. These methods were then validated on a physical prototype. The chosen solution was a three-piece top brace design. Each piece of reinforcement keeps one of the sides rigid, and they are joined at the corners. These pieces fit neatly onto the remaining space on the material sheet with the back barrier piece.

The barrier pieces were fabricated using a CNC router. The toolpaths were optimized to maximize production speed. The pieces were flat packed into the company van and transported to the site for assembly and installation. I developed a hook-and-slot system for joining the barrier pieces securely without the need for fasteners.

Toronto Stamp Inc. successfully obtained the contract for the barriers. Not only did the company make a significant profit, it also left the client with a good impression as an efficient and capable company. This resulted in several subsequent contracts being awarded to Toronto Stamp Inc.