COLORADO SPRINGS — More businesses in the Colorado Springs community are stepping up to make personal protective equipment (PPE) for first responders.
One of them is Titan Robotics where employees are using their 3D printing capabilities to aid in this effort.
The company says its main business is to actually make industrial 3D printers. Currently, they're using those machines to make those much-needed items for medical workers like face shields.
When the pleas for PPE began Maddie Guillory and the rest of the team at Titan Robotics immediately got involved.
Guillory said, "We have changed our focus, our production, to be able to meet the need and protect them, and keep them safe while they're doing the most important job right now...we've been working on this for several weeks, as soon as the news came out that 3D printing could make some of these parts."
Employees are printing halos.
"We printed a couple hundred for the state and those are getting sent off to Greeley to get assembled and distributed here in Colorado."
Face shields are also being made.
"We just got approval for that design not too long ago, earlier this week, so we've printed about 100 of those so far and we are gearing up to print thousands."
Guillory says they're doing this with the help of another small business in town - MotoMinded.
"We are really gearing up to start mass producing these."
They're able to do this through some unique technology.
"Our machines use plastic pellets instead of filament and so because we use the injection molding type pellets we can print these parts much faster and at a much lower cost."
While she says it typically takes two to three hours to print a face shield using other materials they "can print one of those face shields in 5 1/2 minutes."
It's an encouraging number as so many of these are needed for our heroes on the front lines.
Guillory said, "The pandemic that we're going through right now is really unprecedented and we here at Titan just want to be able to do whatever we can to keep people safe."
Guillory shared that they've also had requests to 3D print actual masks that go on the face, but that those designs are still being verified and tested by local hospitals.
Download the News5 App | Watch News5 on a streaming device
RELATED:
Complete coronavirus coverage
Coronavirus related closures
Get the latest from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Click here for the latest update on the number of cases, the age, gender and location of presumptive positive, indeterminate and confirmed cases from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
People who have general questions about coronavirus disease 2019 can call CO HELP at 303-389-1687 or 1-877-462-2911 for answers in many languages. Email COHELP@RMPDC.org for answers in English.
