Jaguar Land Rover 3D prints thousands of protective visors to fight coronavirus
Jaguar Land Rover 3D prints thousands of protective visors to fight coronavirus
Jaguar Land Rover continues its efforts to support the war on coronavirus by 3D printing and distributing thousands of protective visors across the UK.
In light of the current COVID-19 outbreak, the UK government is working round the clock to ensure that frontline NHS staff have the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that they need. Such equipment, which includes face-shielding visors, gloves, and filtering respirators, is critical to prevent the spread of the deadly virus, and Jaguar Land Rover has offered its manufacturing services to help meet the enormous demand.
Adapting machinery and materials usually used for car production, Jaguar Land Rover is currently producing more than 250 protective visors a day, with ambitions to increase that figure to 5000 as production continues to ramp up.
The visors are printed at JLR’s Advanced Product Creation Centre in Gaydon, Warwickshire, home to one of Europe’s most advanced 3D-printing facilities. Using JLR’s 3D printers and injection mould tooling supplied by WHS Plastics, the visors are designed and printed on-site before being distributed free of charge to NHS trusts all over the country by Jaguar Land Rover volunteers.
The designs were implemented following consultations with NHS staff to ensure they would be fit for purpose, and Jaguar Land Rover’s operation was more than capable of stepping up to the task. JLR’s 3D printers are used for printing large quantities of different products, and staff are already trained to design and manufacture a diverse range of different parts. Each face visor is reusable and has been designed to be easily dismantled and cleaned before reuse, reducing the likelihood of further PPE shortages. The designs are fairly simple, printed from biocompatible nylon that can undergo chemical cleaning without compromising the protection.
Ben Wilson, prototype design manager at JLR's Gaydon site, says, "We're just happy to know that we're able to do what we can do to make a difference at this time.”
Although the battle against coronavirus still wages on, the need for suitable personal protective equipment is constant. As production continues to scale up, it is hoped that JLR will be more and more equipped to meet the demand as time goes on.
Chief Executive of South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust Glen Burley says, “We are extremely grateful to Jaguar Land Rover for their kind donation of visors to aid our frontline staff in the fight against COVID-19. The innovation from their designers and engineers is helping the NHS to keep our staff safe and protected, while they provide care to our patients.”
In addition to the manufacture and distribution of protective visors, Jaguar Land Rover is also helping in the war against coronavirus by deploying vehicles to support frontline emergency services around the world, delivering food and medical supplies and providing patient transport.
Take a look at the full list of measures Jaguar Land Rover is taking to help with the pandemic.
