Scot whose 3D printing firm provided face masks for NHS recognised in New Year honours

When Barnabas Cox set up his 3D printing business in December last year, little did he know it would soon be helping those working on the frontline of the NHS during an unprecedented public health crisis.

Barnabas Cox, who used his start-up 3D printing business to manufacture and distribute free face masks to the NHS and local businesses. Picture: Andrew O'Brien

The 24-year-old, from Edinburgh, is the founder of Open Factory, a capital-based 3D printing and design consultancy workshop. After graduating from Napier University last year, he set up the firm to create household artefacts and provide an alternative manufacturing solution for local businesses.

While most start-ups experience an uncertain first few months, it did not take Mr Cox long to find his feet. In the space of three months, he had marshalled his resources to lend a helping hand to the vast national effort to provide PPE as the full impact of the virus became known.

With fears of PPE shortages widespread, Mr Cox was well aware he was in a unique position to help. Using what little savings they had, and begging and borrowing equipment, he and a friend, Oscar James, set about planning and designing the manufacture of face masks to be used by Scottish NHS staff.

Within weeks, Open Factory had manufactured and delivered hundreds of face masks to NHS Scotland’s regional infections unit.

But he was not yet finished. Once the initial lockdown phase ended, and non-essential business began to re-open, Mr Cox created and distributed in excess of 1,000 face masks to local businesses, including care homes - all free of charge.

Now he is among a handful of Scots recognised with a British Empire medal for his voluntary services to health workers in Scotland during the pandemic.

When Mr Cox learned by email of the honour, he thought it was a spam or phishing scan, only to realise it had been sent from a genuine .gov email account.

“I didn’t know the British Empire medal existed to be honest,” he explained. “It was a bit of a surprise. I thought it was a fake email at first.”

The charitable drive was not without its challenges. At one point, his workshop was broken into, with some of the equipment stolen or damaged. Elsewhere, he devised an enterprising solution to a shortage of raw material, turning A4 binder covers into protective equipment.

Looking back on the year gone by, Mr Cox acknowledges it has been a baptism of fire, but is pleased with how he was able to help those in need.

“I should probably have taken more time to set up a website, but there just wasn’t time,” he said. “Me and my mate just wanted to help, and it turned out to be a pretty mental year.

“It just made sense to us. There were people all around the world with 3D printers helping to make face masks, and I realised we could be a part of that, working with a group called the 3D printing collective, which helped with distribution. I like to think we were just a small cog in a huge machine.”

With the promise of a return to normality at some point in 2021, Mr Cox is excited at the prospect of creating other products, and hopes the honour helps attract customers.

“Folk can come in with a file, a design, or even an idea, and we can help them make it,” he said.

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