Therma-Tru is making protective facial shields with 3D printing machinery facilities in Maumee, Ohio, and Edgerton, Ohio, for hospitals and healthcare facilities throughout Ohio. Therma-Tru plans to deliver more than 80 face shields every week for the foreseeable future.
“As an Ohio-based company, we are committed to doing our part in the community during this pandemic,” says Mark Ayers, senior vice president of marketing and product development at Therma-Tru Corp. “On behalf of Therma-Tru, we would like to thank all healthcare workers nationwide for their dedication during these challenging times.”
The company’s 3D printers are traditionally used to produce prototypes, templates and jigs for the company's exterior door technology. Now they are also being leveraged to make re-usable shields that provide effective protection to a broad area of the face.
“While collaborating with industry 3D-printing technologists, we determined we had a unique opportunity to play a role and help out,” says Connor Funk, lab technician at Therma-Tru. “The particular design of shield we are making offers added protection with the visor. We are also exploring other designs without a visor that are even faster to print to increase the number of shields we can produce daily for healthcare staff.”
Therma-Tru obtained the shield template from resources provided by the National Institute of Health on products clinically tested to limit the spread of COVID-19 through aerosol and splatter exposure.