The Engineer

igus joins Covid-19 engineering response

News

UK engineers at polymer bearing specialist igus have joined the manufacturing effort to produce much-needed personal protective equipment for frontline healthcare

As part of an effort coordinated by the National 3D Printing Society, the firm has repurposed an area of it’s UK office in Nottingham for the assembly of face shields, which it is then packaging up and sending directly to UK hospitals.

igus face shields

The company is currently assembling around 500 shields per day, a feat made possible by many of its staff volunteering to help in their own time.

igus UK purchased the first 7000 face shields and have donated these to the cause. After that, the National 3D Printing Society will be sourcing the face shield material.

The National 3D Printing Society (N3DPS) was established to help further the field of student 3D printing, through knowledge sharing between a network of universities.

MORE HERE ON THE COVID-19 ENGINEERING RESPONSE

The N3DPS protective Face Shield is made with two parts: a screen and a 3D printed mount. The screens can be made from clear PVC binder covers with a 4 hole punch, using an A4 ISO-888 hole configuration.  The Mounts can be printed in less than one hour and can be stacked to produce multiple mounts from a single print. With no requirement for fibre elastic to secure the shield, it is claimed to be easier to sanitise than other devices.

Register now to continue reading

Thanks for visiting The Engineer. You’ve now reached your monthly limit of news stories. Register for free to unlock unlimited access to all of our news coverage, as well as premium content including opinion, in-depth features and special reports.  

Benefits of registering

  • In-depth insights and coverage of key emerging trends

  • Unrestricted access to special reports throughout the year

  • Daily technology news delivered straight to your inbox

Register
Or continue by

Signing in with your registered email address