Boeing is using its additive manufacturing network to 3D print face shields to help health-care workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 3D-printed frame will include an adjustable headband and clear plastic face shield that can be easily snapped onto the frame. (Boeing photo)

Boeing in Huntsville is on the front line of the medical supply shortages, as the team here delivers 2,300 reusable medical face shields to the Department of Health and Human Services, which will in turn be distributed by FEMA to those medical facilities most in need in the fight against the COVID-19 virus.

As production ramps up at the Huntsville plant, thousands more are on the way.

Boeing worked with health-care providers across the country to understand what equipment was most urgently needed and how that aligned with Boeing’s vast manufacturing capabilities. Face shields and other PPE have been in such short supply that some doctors and nurses have turned to swimming goggles and other homemade options.

At Huntsville, the Boeing team is using state of the art additive manufacturing machines to 3D-print a frame with an adjustable headband that allows a clear plastic face shield to be snapped onto the frame. The reusable face shields have been accepted by the HHS and will be delivered by FEMA for distribution.

Huntsville is one of nine sites where Boeing has 3D printing facilities and is working with long-time partners, Solvay to provide the clear film for making the face shields; and Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, which has donated the elastic used for the adjustable headband.

To date, Boeing has donated thousands of units of PPE, including face masks, goggles, gloves, safety glasses and protective bodysuits, in support of health-care professionals battling COVID-19 in some of the hardest-hit locations in the United States.

The company is also coordinating with government officials on how best to provide its airlift capabilities, including the Boeing Dreamlifter, to help transport critical and urgently needed supplies to health-care professionals.

“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,” said Boeing President and CEO David Calhoun. “History has proven that Boeing is a company that rises to the toughest challenges with people who are second to none.

“Today, we continue that tradition, and we stand ready to assist the federal government’s response to this global pandemic.”