In response to a pandemic-related plea from a Florida hospital, a newly formed team at Formlabs, a manufacturer of SLA 3D printers and high-end resins, needed only one week to begin printing its very first parts for customers: swabs used to test people for COVID-19.
It started with a sleep apnea machine and a group of dedicated engineers at UC Berkeley looking to help in the battle against COVID-19. The result? A makeshift device that can safely provide respiratory support to those experiencing breathing difficulties.
As personal protective equipment became scarce for hospitals at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, two doctors had an idea to convert snorkeling masks to be used as emergency filtering face masks. PTC and others helped bring their vision to reality.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a surging need for medical and personal protective equipment. But it’s not just enough to make the needed equipment and supplies, you also have to get it to where it’s needed most. For rural America, resources are limited, medical facilities are few and far between, and the infrastructure to supply them is lacking.
While the pandemic was starting to gain a foothold in the U.S., a call from the Texas National Guard seeking assistance lead Essentium Inc., a Texas-based manufacturer of 3D printers and engineering-grade material, to develop a 3D-printed mask for to help solve the shortage.
When the COVID-19 pandemic ended spring athletic seasons around the world and orders dried up for Michigan-based mouthguard manufacturer Akervall Technologies Inc., the company found a way to help frontline workers while preserving employment.
Cadillac Products Automotive Co., like many manufacturers, stepped up to provide assistance as the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the U.S. and globe. But manufacturing PPE was a new experience for the Troy, Mich.-based auto supplier who usually makes vehicle door watershields for automakers.
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