Privacy Screen

The Privacy Screen is an easy-to-make, wheeled, folding privacy divider designed to provide privacy for women, children, and people with disabilities in shared or open-layout spaces, particularly evacuation centres where accommodation is often limited to open rows of beds with no separation. It can be configured in different arrangements, including as a single flat panel or an angled two-panel divider, and rolls freely into place using castor wheels.

The screen consists of two timber-framed panels, each built from 2" x 1" timber: four 1700 mm vertical pieces, four 840 mm horizontal pieces, and eight 400 mm diagonal support pieces with 45-degree chamfered ends. Each frame is assembled by butt-jointing the horizontal and vertical pieces at all four corners and securing them with 30 mm countersunk woodscrews (50 total), then adding a diagonal support piece at each corner for structural rigidity. Once assembled, each frame is covered with fabric (from a 1m x 4m roll, two rolls used across both frames) and secured with a staple gun. The two fabric-covered frames are then joined at one edge using six 2" butt hinges, allowing the screen to fold.

The base of the screen is fitted with a mobile wheel system. Steel square tubing (25 mm², cut to 480 mm) is drilled for rivet clearance and a central fixture hole, then fitted with swivel castor wheels (five total, secured with pop rivets and covered with tube end caps) to form two double-wheel mounts, plus a single-wheel mount using a shorter 75 mm section of tubing. A mounting bracket is made by cutting 3 mm mild steel flat bar to 2 inches, drilling a center hole, and welding an M8 threaded rod (50 mm) to it, with excess rod trimmed and edges ground smooth. These wheel mount assemblies are attached to the base of each timber frame using M8 washers and nylon locknuts, per the spacing shown in the accompanying engineering drawing pack.

This product has been produced 155 times in Fiji.

Levels are identified based on this reference: Field Ready Readiness Levels

About the manuals

Field Ready develops manuals to support both the fabrication and safe use of its products. A maker manual provides step-by-step instructions for replicating the design, including materials, tools, and assembly guidance, so that makers in different locations can build the product accurately and consistently. A user manual, where applicable, explains how to properly set up, use, and maintain the product once it is built, helping ensure it performs safely and as intended for the end user. Together, these manuals make the design accessible to both fabricators and the people who ultimately rely on the product.