Medical face shields from plastic for water pipes
Dutch company Wavin, a producer of plastic pipes for water systems, donates 100,000 copies of special-made face shields to healthcare workers. The shields are produced from plastic that is normally used for the production of pipe systems and units for storm water catchment.
The first 20,000 shields have already been delivered to three Dutch hospitals.
Contribution to fight Corona
Gert-Jan Maasdam, Global VP Market Strategy and Innovation at Wavin: “We heard from different healthcare institutions that they have the greatest difficulty keeping their staff going. These masks can make a small contribution to the safety and well-being of the people who are so important at the moment.
“Like many others, we feel fairly powerless in the fight against Corona. We are happy that we can take our responsibility and at least do something”, said Maasdam.
Three weeks
The face shield was developed within three weeks - a process that normally takes months. One of the engineers at Wavin learned about the dire shortage of face masks from his mother who works in healthcare.
He and some colleagues developed a first prototype. In collaboration with the healthcare sector and the Austrian mould-maker Haidlmair, the design has been improved and prepared for production. Wavin started the production of the face shields from the plastic material that it normally uses to produce pipes for water systems.
Distribution
Wavin, that has never produced for the healthcare sector before, wants to contribute to the worldwide fight against the Coronavirus. The company is expected to be able to supply 10,000 units per day. In addition to the donated copies, Wavin will also make the face shields available at cost price to other healthcare institutions, such as hospitals, retirement homes and homecare institutions.
The company has started a production line in the Netherlands for local production and is investigating the possibilities of producing the screens internationally.
