Stratasys and its partners are producing thousands of face shields with 3D-printed plastic frames. Source: StratasysA plan of action is being implemented by Stratasys to fill the glaring gap in personal protective equipment available for medical personnel on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company is donating its 3D-printing capacity across all regions and invites any U.S.-based 3D-printing shops to participate in producing plastic frames for disposable face shields.

Stratasys plans to produce 5,000 face shields by Friday, March 27, at no cost to recipients, and to scale to an even faster rate of production. The company has posted the full face shield printing and assembly instructions on its COVID-19 response page and provides an online form for interested participants to join the initiative. These resources can also be used by organizations to request 3D-printed products to help with the crisis or request 3D printers or material for medical- or safety-related purposes.

A separate initiative led by anesthesiology residents of Massachusetts General Hospital called the CoVent-19 Challenge is planning to ask engineers and designers to help develop a new rapidly deployable ventilator and other innovative solutions to the ventilator shortage. Stratasys will support the challenge and promote it via its GrabCAD community of more than 7 million professional designers, engineers, manufacturers and students.