Paragon’s Additive Manufacturing division has been operating around the clock since 24 March to 3D print PPE face shields for NHS staff in North East hospitals. Today, with the assistance of 3D printing technology innovators RPS; global science company DSM who provided 40kg of free SLA resin; and digital manufacturing entrepreneurs Carbon, who supplied CAD and technical support, the 5000th headpiece was packed up and dispatched.
The headpiece represented the last in an initial order of 5000 destined for hospitals across the North East of England. “I am so proud of our team,” says Neil Cook, Paragon’s Managing Director. “They have worked around the clock, across shifts they wouldn’t ordinarily have worked, and foregone holidays and weekends to get these vital PPE face shields completed and shipped.”
The headpieces were printed on two different types of 3D printing technologies. “We printed 1500 headpieces using our Carbon M2 Digital Light Synthesis printers,” continues Neil. “The remainder of the order was printed on our three large bed NEO800 stereolithography (SLA) printers with additional support from RPS. RPS is the creator of the NEO800 and brought its own machines into the process. We are extremely grateful and humbled by their efforts to help. We are also grateful to Royal DSM, creators of the durable, multi-purpose SOMOS® resins we run on these large bed machines. DSM donated 40 kg of resin for use in the creation of the shield headpieces.”
