3D printing technology specialist, Essentium, has supplied fluid engineering expert, Sulzer, with 6,000 3D printed protective face mask kits.
The order came from the Houston Service Center - the headquarters of the rotating equipment services division of Sulzer in the Americas.
The kits will be worn by employees in Sulzer locations in both North and South America. Sulzer has also commissioned Essentium to design a child version of the mask kit, and donated a quantity to its chosen charity, Todays Harbor for Children - a La Porte-based residential community for youth.
Sulzer reached out to Essentium as a result of a shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Sulzer provides critical services to the power, water, and process industries essential for supporting businesses during the Covid-19 crisis. Therefore, as an essential business, Sulzer has continued to operate during the Covid-19 pandemic, and so needed to collaborate with a company who were able to produce the required number of mask kits within a short time frame.
Essentium was able to quickly produce the required number of 3D printed face masks at scale, whilst ensuring Sulzer’s time-critical needs were met. Sulzer feels confident that Essentium will provide its employees with reliable, high-quality protective masks, as a result of the organisation conforming to FDA EUA guidelines, and the filtration media being ASTM Level 2 and BFE97.
The reusable mask frame is made with a material known as Essentium TPU74D (thermoplastic urethane), which is designed to be used alongside single-use, replaceable filtration media, and for easy cleaning. The Essentium mask has been created for general non-medical use during the Covid-19 pandemic, based on FDA Emergency Use Authorisation.
Darayus Pardivala, president, rotating equipment services Americas, Sulzer, said: "The global shortage of masks could have made it challenging for us to remain open. Essentium's ability to produce a quality solution at scale and to our timeline solves the issue. That they also agreed to partner with us to produce a child version of the kit underlines the shared values of our companies."
Blake Teipel, CEO and co-founder, Essentium, added: "Where the supply chain for PPE is faltering, Essentium and 3D manufacturing can and has stepped in. To play our part in helping essential businesses stay open and keep our essential workers safe is hugely rewarding."