Windsor Locks Company Manufacturing Face Shields

WINDSOR LOCKS, CT — Collins Aerospace, a manufacturer with a Windsor Locks operation, is producing 3D headbands for face shields that are in short supply, according to a statement from the company. These are critical personal protective equipment for doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals.

“I’d been reading about how medical-grade face masks are almost impossible to find,” Paula Hay, vice president, Operations, Collins Aerospace said in a statement. “When I learned that healthcare professionals are practically begging for face shields that protect workers from their patients, it was just an automatic response. We’re going to make this happen!”

She reached out to Collins’ global sites that do 3D printing for the aerospace and defense industry, and engineers across the company pitched in to help.

One of those was Alex Bosworth, a research engineer in Additive Manufacturing, located in Windsor Locks. He runs a 3D printer and is helping to 3D print face shields.

“Our whole team couldn’t wait to begin printing parts for the face shields,” Bosworth said. “The thought that doctors and nurses are risking their lives every day … we knew we were in a position to help, so we got to work. We wanted to help those actively helping other families so that they could be around for their own families.”

According to Hay, nearly 70 3D printers across Raytheon Technologies global locations are working to produce face shield headbands. The goal is to produce 2,500 headbands a week that will be distributed to multiple health and emergency response organizations who will then distribute them to hospitals and healthcare workers.