As Industry Professionals – How Can We Help Fight COVID-19?

Although I am currently sitting in my home office alone, my mind is with our brothers and sisters on the front-lines of this global pandemic of COVID-19. These people are braving viral exposure to save the lives of our friends, our family, and our communities.

On some level, I’m doing exactly what I’m supposed to. Socially distancing myself, eliminating unnecessary travel, and supporting our customers when they need it the most.

But I’m left wondering… is there more I can do with my skills, expertise, and equipment?

• As a mechanical engineer – can my knowledge help create an emergency ventilator design?
• As a 3D printing expert – can my equipment produce desperately-needed PPE for the local hospital?
• As a manufacturing engineer – can I re-tool my production line to meet global demand for PPE?
• As a tool & die maker – can I keep my molds healthy to endure the rapidly increasing demand for injected plastic?
• As a data expert – can I aid in reducing local government and businesses supply chain risk?
• As a CFD expert – can I advise hardware designers on proper droplet protection and oxygen flow?
• As a machinist – can I keep equipment running as lead time for replacement parts draws out?

Although many of us are alone today, none of us are in this alone. Unity is strength. We will overcome this crisis if we each do our part and support one another. Business to business. Person to person.

Our healthcare providers need us. Our truck drivers, grocery clerks, and emergency responders need us. And we need them.

Over my last 10 years at GoEngineer, I have been blessed to visit hundreds of facilities and witness the true, undeniable ingenuity of American engineering and manufacturing. This is our time to rise, whether it is in the name of our companies or as individuals and put our years of education and experience to use.

And, if you or your organization is actively assisting in the response to COVID-19, please share your story with us! We want to highlight your heroic efforts.

Here are some links to help orient yourself in the right direction:

Working from home with SOLIDWORKS

GoEngineer offers a variety of virtual resources to help you use SOLIDWORKS at home, expand your skills, and network within the SOLIDWORKS community from the comfort of your home office. You can access those resources here.

Create PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)

If you want to use your 3D Printer to create PPE, Stratasys is working on leading and supporting ways to respond to the COVID-19 crisis by 3D printing protective shields. Share other ideas and requests here.

Project N95

If you’re a medical equipment provider, join Project N95. This organization is working with governments to determine where demand for N95 masks, surgical gowns, isolation gowns, ventilators, and other PPE medical equipment are and distribute them as quickly as possible. Learn more or join Project N95 here.

CoVent-19 Challenge

The goal of the CoVent-19 challenge is to increase the capacity of hospitals to provide mechanical ventilation. Join the open innovation effort to design a rapidly deployable mechanical ventilator.

Open Source COVID19 Medical Supplies Facebook Group

This Facebook group was formed to evaluate, design, validate, and source the fabrication of open sourcing medical supplies. Join the discussion or submit your ideas here.

Mask Match

Mask Match is a peer-to-peer platform helping people with spare N95 masks send them directly to healthcare workers on the front lines who need them. Their lives (and our lives) depend on it. 

It is our time to ask – as a human – can I do my part?