Autodesk lends additive manufacturing capacity to help produce 30-40 shields every other day
April 6, 2020 (CHICAGO) — MxD announced today that it has begun manufacturing protective face shields for medical personnel on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic in Chicago.
MxD also has produced step-by-step instructions for making these face shields to guide other manufacturers who wish to replicate this in their own communities. Instructions for manufacturing the shields can be found on our website.
MxD’s first batches of face shields were donated last week to the Alivio Medical Center, which serves the Latino community in Pilsen. Alivio Medical Center, 966 W. 21st St., was in desperate need of the personal protective equipment, or PPE, and will receive more shields as they are fabricated.
MxD and its member, Autodesk, are producing the face shields at MxD’s factory on Chicago’s Goose Island, 415 N. Cherry Ave.
MxD’s Future Factory floor, which typically is used to demonstrate advancements in digital manufacturing to thousands of visitors each year, pivoted to begin producing the face shields in late March. MxD leaders began working on the design in mid-March.
Autodesk’s high-speed 3D printer, which already was located on MxD’s factory floor, allowed MxD to triple the number of shields produced each day. MxD and Autodesk will be able to produce 30-40 face shields every other day. The shields are made of 3D-printed parts and laser-cut sheets of PETG.
Like many medical centers, Alivio has been experiencing shortages of PPE, which protects its personnel and patients from being infected and infecting others.
“Our mission is serving uninsured patients, many of whom are undocumented and fearful of traditional health-care institutions,” said Alivio’s CEO Esther Corpuz. “We are grateful to all those who come together and leverage their resources, expertise and skills to donate such critical equipment to our clinical staff. Your generosity is uplifting to a staff who is working very hard in an extremely difficult time.”
“We are honored to supply the heroic medical personnel working through this dangerous pandemic,” said MxD CEO Chandra Brown. “So many smaller centers in Chicago have urgent needs and do not have crucial supplies and equipment. We’re also working to connect medical centers that need larger PPE orders to the networks that can supply them.”
“In response to the shortage of essential supplies on the front lines of the crisis, Autodesk has initiatives in place to help accelerate manufacturing of medical devices and personal protective equipment,” said Sean Manzanares, senior manager of manufacturing business strategy at Autodesk. “Our hope is the collective response will address some of the needs of our medical professionals and the people who desperately need support.”
Photos of the manufacturing process and the finished product can be found here.
About MxD
MxD is where innovative manufacturers go to forge their futures. In partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense, MxD equips factories with the digital tools and expertise they need to begin building every part better than the last. As a result, our nearly 300 partners increase their productivity and win more business. Learn more at mxdusa.org.
MxD and its members are committed to helping the defense industrial base bolster national security and public health in response to COVID-19 — and to being better prepared for future crises. Learn more: https://mxdusa.org/covid-19
About Autodesk:
Autodesk makes software for people who make things – across the manufacturing, architecture, building, construction, media, and entertainment industries. Autodesk gives you the power to make anything. https://www.autodesk.com
