In the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, employees at Vortex headquarters in Salina, KS, have designed and produced cleanable and reusable face shields for the local hospital, Salina Regional Health Center. Initially, the visor frames were 3D printed using a design that has been shared across the globe to create shields during the pandemic. Vortex engineers and programmers enhanced this design and began producing the frames that could support a more robust and reusable protective shield.

After an initial donation of 100 disposable shields, it became clear that a reusable shield design was necessary to prevent shortages in the Salina-area medical community. In working with the hospital and its clinics, Vortex delivered some 200 reusable face shields during the week starting 20 April. “Many of our Vortex team members stepped up and put in a lot of extra effort to deliver face shields to our regional medical center,” commented Vortex CEO, Travis Young. “Salina is a very tight knit community, and it is great to see how we take care of each other in difficult times.”

In addition to the production of face shields, Vortex temporarily shifted from producing the Vortex Iris Valve to creating face masks for its essential employees. Sewing machines typically used to create iris valve sleeves were used to sew the masks.

In accordance with US Homeland Security’s Guidance on the Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce: Ensuring Community and National Resilience in Covid-19 Response, and by decree of the State of Kansas, Vortex’s business operations are considered ‘Essential Business’ and its employees are considered an ‘Essential Infrastructure Workforce’. Vortex – which manufactures slide gates, diverters, iris valves and retractable loading chutes designed for handling dry bulk solids – will remain operational as long as this guidance remains in place. www.vortexglobal.com

 

Face shield designed and manufactured by Vortex
 

Prototype Vortex face shield being prepared for 3D printing

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