We were happy to have played a very small part in producing about 3,500 of the face shields pictured above that are being provided to local area hospitals.
The plastic for the shield was donated to the Suffolk Cooperative Library System as a 50" x 250' roll, who asked for our help to reduce the plastic down to the right size for the shields.
We were able to utilize an out-of-service large-format printer and our large format cutter to reduce the roll into large sheets. It wasn't pretty but it got the job done!
The sheets were then stacked and cut into the size you see here on one of our guillotine cutters.
From there, the shields were delivered to the Suffolk Cooperative Library System who have set up a truly impressive makeshift manufacturing facility of nearly 90 3-D printers all donated by our county's public libraries.
SCLS staff then 3-D printed the top and bottom pieces of the shield, punched holes in the plastic, and hand-assembled every shield.
We're also very proud to be working to deliver high volumes of new, rapid-result COVID-19 test kits through an emerging partnership with a leading local manufacturer of rapid testing kits.
These new test kits, which produce results in 15 minutes with a simple finger stick, will go a long way to helping control the spread of the COVID-19 virus by both increasing the volume of available testing and providing results before a patient can walk out the door.
Finally, our employees have also continued to report to work to help manufacture and deliver crucial supplies to local area hospitals to help ensure our healthcare workers and hospitals can continue to function and do the amazing work they do to keep us all safe while the world copes with our new normal.
Our staff deserves a massive round of applause for continuing to show up every day, deal with the stresses of working from home (whenever possible), and log odd hours as we try to adjust to the needs of our community and our clients.
All that being said, we're still on the look out for more opportunities to help during these difficult times and we encourage anyone that knows of a way our facility, staff, or equipment can be of use to reach out and start a conversation!
