Industrial Laser Solutions (www.industrial-lasers.com) is tapping into the worldwide industrial laser material processing community to learn how this technology is contributing toward combatting conditions brought on by the Coronavirus (COVID-19). This is the first in a planned series on this subject.
Milton Sergio Fernandes de Lima (Industrial Laser Solutions’ Editorial Advisor in Brazil) reports, among many actions, that a group at Petrobras Co. is organizing the logistics of 3D-printed consumables, such as face shields and the DX3010 valve. Today, this single network accounts for 93 people around the country sharing materials and source codes. Raw materials donation has been enough for the task.
Bo Gu (our Editorial Advisor covering China) identifies Han’s Laser and HG Laser among a few Chinese companies involved in the COVID-19 battle that have turned their system integration capabilities into manufacturing mask-making machines. He also says laser markers were used to battle against fake 3M n95 masks. Laser sheet metal processing equipment (mainly Trumpf’s products) were used in building the hospital in Wuhan in less than 10 days. And there are a handful of laser companies making infrared temperature monitoring systems for public places and laser tweezers for developing vaccines.
Bo also calls to attention an interesting article using 3D printing to make Coronavirus test swabs.
Editorial Advisor Geoff Shannon says a lot of additive manufacturing companies in the U.S. are pitching in. For example, Stratasys & Stratasys Direct has set an initial goal of producing 5000 disposable face shields for use by medical personnel, at no cost to the recipients. Learn more about the effort at https://bit.ly/2wwmpiZ.
Readers, if you are aware of industrial lasers’ role in easing the COVID-19 impact, send me a note ([email protected]) or link and we’ll post on the Industrial Laser Solutions website.
