Doug Mockett & Co. is putting their two Gigabot 3D printers to work in order to assist the healthcare industry. Mockett has partnered with local area hospitals Torrance Memorial Hospital, Little Company of Mary, and others in California to deliver as many 3D printed face shields and mask strap buckles as possible.

Healthcare workers are in short supply of personal protective equipment. As many nurses and healthcare professionals know, working long hours while wearing protective face masks can put a lot of strain and tension on your ears.

Mask extender brackets provide added length to the straps to fit around the back of the neck rather than over the ears to relieve the pressure. The mask extenders have been updated with custom inspirational messages stenciled into the back such as “Strong” and “Hero” as a reminder of the appreciation for nurses and frontline healthcare workers.

For those frontline workers dealing directly with infected patients or potentially infected persons, face shields are needed in addition to the face masks to avoid the spread of airborne agents.

Mockett’s New Products Development Team, led by Paul de Leon, is also designing and printing visors with flexible arms that will hold a clear plastic face shield. These are being delivered daily fully assembled with the shield in place.

De Leon’s team is also creating new silicon molds for resin (liquid plastic) visors for face shields so they can ramp up their production and create more using alternative materials. The silicon molds can create new visors at about 10 times the volume of the 3D printed versions. Mockett has also donated 1,000 cloth face masks. See https://www.mockett.com/coronavirus