Boeing on Friday delivered its first set of reusable, 3D-printed face shields for the protection of healthcare professionals who're battling the spread of COVID-19 on the front lines of the pandemic.
The initial shipment of 2,300 face shields was received by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) yesterday morning. From there, the government's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be routing them to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas, which has been converted into an alternate care site to treat patients with the Coronavirus.
The aircraft manufacturer has committed to the production of thousands more face shields per week, planning to gradually increase its output to answer the call for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as COVID-19 spreads across the U.S.
Distribution of forthcoming face shields will be coordinated with HHS and FEMA, based on immediate needs, said Boeing. The company is fabricating these face shields using additive manufacturing machines at its sites in:
-St. Louis, Missouri
-China Lake, El Segundo, and Huntington Beach, California
-Puget Sound region of Washington state
-Mesa, Arizona
-Huntsville, Alabama
-Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
-Charleston, South Carolina
-San Antonio, Texas
-Salt Lake City, Utah
-Portland, Oregon
Two of Boeing's subsidiaries-Argon ST in Smithfield, Pennsylvania, and Aurora Flight Sciences in Bridgeport, West Virginia-are involved in the effort.
Long-time Boeing supplier, Solvay, is providing the clear film material used in the face shields, while a separator supplier, Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, donated the elastic incorporated into the adjustable headband.
Boeing's production and donation of face shields is just part of its broader effort to leverage the company's tools and resources to aid in the fight against Coronavirus. Thus far, it has also donated tens of thousands of PPE units- including face masks, goggles, gloves, safety glasses and protective bodysuits-to support healthcare workers who've found themselves in desperately short supply since COVID-19 hit the U.S.
Boeing has also reached out to the U.S. government, offering the use of its unique airlift capabilities, including the Boeing Dreamlifter (a massive cargo aircraft), to help transport urgently-needed supplies to medical professionals in hardest-hit locations in the United States.
"Boeing is proud to stand alongside many other great American companies in the fight against COVID-19, and we are dedicated to supporting our local communities, especially our frontline healthcare professionals, during this unprecedented time," Boeing's President and CEO, David Calhoun, said in a statement.
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