Buxton engineering firm makes nearly 30,000 health worker masks after designing new moulding tool

A Buxton engineering firm is producing parts for 1,650 Covid-19 face masks a day after designing a moulding tool especially for the job.
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Vetech Product Design & Development took on the vital work after seeing a crowdfunding page appealing for raw material donations to help 3D printers across the country make more of the face coverings.

Director Andrew Quigley told how his firm had joined an army of 3D-printing hobbyists across the UK trying to plug the gap in personal protective equipment for health workers.

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Vetech - along with thousands of others across the UK who are part of the 3D Crowd UK appeal - are using a free template to produce the masks.

Andrew's son Rowan Quigley trimming partsAndrew's son Rowan Quigley trimming parts
Andrew's son Rowan Quigley trimming parts

However instead of using a 3D printer - which takes about two hours to produce a single part - Andrew has designed a special machine tool allowing him to turn out a face mask frame every 26 seconds using plastic injection moulding.

Over the last three weeks Vetech have manufactured over 27,000 of the frames - which are shipped to several factories to be are combined with visors and headbands for NHS workers.

Dad-of-two Andrew told how he brought back two furloughed workers to help tweak the mask design and make a special moulding tool within two days and begin production.

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He said: “I’m very pleased to be doing this - though I’m also a bit upset because we could have done a lot more.

A face mask frame produced by VetechA face mask frame produced by Vetech
A face mask frame produced by Vetech
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“There are so many small businesses out there like ours that can do so much but no-one knows about them - unless they’re Rolls Royce or Dyson no-one cares.

“Thousands of little businesses like ours can make a massive difference.”

However Andrew - who has recruited his twin sons Rowan and Gwilyn, 17, to help in the workshop - was keen to point out that he only became involved only due to the 3D Crowd UK campaign.

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The moulding tool coreThe moulding tool core
The moulding tool core
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He said: “There are 5,000 people around the country with 3D printers and if they’re all producing masks every day that’s a big number.

“Thousands of people are making 3D parts in a couple of hours and we’re making thousands really fast.”

To donate to the 3D Crowd UK campaign click HERE.

A message from the Editor:

Andrew's wife Jennifer with mouldings awaiting collectionAndrew's wife Jennifer with mouldings awaiting collection
Andrew's wife Jennifer with mouldings awaiting collection

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