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Robotics team and 2 local Companies team up to help during crisis
HQC Incorporated & Marshall Mold help local robotics team Turbo Charged, manufacture and donate plastic ear savers to front line workers
HQC Incorporated and Marshall Mold, two Illinois based companies, have teamed up to help local robotics team Turbo Charged, design, manufacture and donate plastic ear savers to medical workers and first responders.
Medical staff and essential employees are working overtime hours, for weeks straight amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Surgical masks, however, were never intended for such prolonged usage, and their design functionality certainly does not make it easy for first responders under these circumstances. When worn for extensive periods of time, they can wreak havoc on front line workers- putting great strain on the backs of their ears.
The young engineers of Robotics team Turbo Charged (a FIRST FTC Team) had already been 3D printing face shields with flexible, adjustable band since April 3rd. They wanted to produce something to help with the problem of stress on ears from surgical mask bands.
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HQC Inc. a proud sponsor of the robotics team, and Tim Andrus, co-owner of HQC Incorporated saw an opportunity for HQC to help them produce the ear savers faster and to give back to the community. These plastic straps attach to the elastic sides of the mask, creating a bridge across the back of the head. They are fully adjustable and eliminate the strain put on the back of the ears while wearing a surgical mask.
Since HQC operates within the healthcare industry, making other medical related products, they already had professional relationships with local hospitals as well as other medical device manufacturers. This sparked the idea to team up with Marshall Mold to produce ear savers for surgical masks and donate to local front-line workers.
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In addition to donating to first responders, masks are also being donated to HQC’s partners and customers within the food manufacturing industry to help these essential workers to be safe and comfortable.
To date 500 face shields have been donated to local hospitals and over 50,000 ear saver bands have been sent to hospitals, nursing facilities, fire, and police departments locally and across the country.
To find out how your Medical facility can receive ear saver bands, email Turbo Charged at navigaterobotics@gmail.com