WYOMISSING, Pa. — Coronavirus infections are continuing to rise dramatically throughout the country and the state of Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Along with the rising number of cases comes an increased demand for personal protective equipment (PPEs), and that’s one issue that Penn State Berks alumnus and entrepreneur Joe Sinclair is helping with through his Reading-based, 3D-printer manufacturing business, Verde Mantis.
Sinclair and his brother, Dan, had been monitoring and tracking the spread of COVID-19 in Berks County and Pennsylvania for some time when Sinclair's company began prototyping and producing personal protective equipment in mid-March. Specifically, the company has created a design that is being used to print the component of face shields that holds the translucent shield in place. The 3D-printed part, shaped like a semi-circle, is wrapped around the forehead of the user and secured in the rear by a rubber band or piece of elastic. Nearly 150 shields have already been assembled to date.
“We’re working with our partners across Pennsylvania to ramp up production,” said Sinclair, who added that his goal is to see a few hundred face shields produced every week.
As an early member of the Berks LaunchBox initiative, Sinclair launched Verde Mantis, the first company in the area to be focused on making 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, easy to use. He has been able to invite local students to participate in the design and fabrication process of the company's Mantis 3D printer, and now he is working with community organizations to use that same technology to create face shield components to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.