It was last Tuesday when Waupaca Foundry was contacted by 3DOLOGiE, the company’s 3-D printer supplier, asking if the facility in Etowah, Tennessee had the ability to manufacture personal protective equipment for local hospitals amidst COVID-19.
 
By that Friday, Waupaca Foundry was in contact with Blount Memorial Hospital in Maryville Tennessee, asking if Waupaca Foundry could help provide supply relief and create face shield frames. After having the design approved by Blount Memorial healthcare professionals, Waupaca Foundry started producing the face shield headbands to be donated.
 
Jason Cardin, a tooling engineer in Etowah, has since been going back and forth from Waupaca Foundry to take the finished product off the press and to start the process all over again. With three 3-D printing machines and the process taking around 15 hours per two finished headbands, Waupaca Foundry hopes to donate over 50 face shields frames to the hospital this upcoming week.
 
CEO of 3DOLOGiE, Melissa Ragsdale, CEO sent out the initial email to all of her customers with the hope of making a small impact on the COVID-19 relief.
 
“Most of my customers are like Waupaca Foundry. You are a manufacturing facility, and often, you are essential, which means you do get to keep operating on some level, and you do want to help,” Ragsdale said.
 
Over 45 of the 3DOLOGie’s clients stepped up — Waupaca Foundry included — and what started as a small email has since positively impacted the healthcare industry, spanning coast to coast from California to New York.
 
“Waupaca Foundry has the ability, we have the capacity, we have the equipment to relieve the need and help our local communities,” Cardin said. “If I were to say why we should do it, it’s because we can do it.”
 
Interested in how you or your company can help? Visit this PPE production resources page to learn more.