SEA-LECT Plastics welcomes innovative ways to utilize manufacturing processes to create PPE.
Like many manufacturers, Matt Poischbeg, President and GM of SEA-LECT Plastics, was facing a potential shutdown due to stay-at-home orders for the state of Washington. With his employees' well-being and financial distress in mind, Poischbeg began exploring options to impact the short supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) in his community and across the globe.
Stumbling upon a revolutionary 3D Printed face mask design, Poischbeg found a light at the end of the virtual tunnel. This design has been shared across many platforms, as was launched it to the market from a collaboration between Spencer E. Zaugg, DMD, a general dentist, Dusty Richardson, MD, a neurosurgeon at Billings Clinic and Colton Zaugg, who has a passion for designing, building and experimenting. With the help of SPART R&D, SEA-LECT’s team could navigate the files to swiftly create a mold, putting these masks in production in a matter of days. No shortcuts were taken, as the team of Mold-Making mentors and apprentices at SEA-LECT worked long days and weekends to accomplish this task.
Nathan Hall, 4th Year Mold Apprentice for SEA-LECT Plastics
“We got this exciting project from Montana Masks that we needed to make a mold in under one week, which is pushing our tooling capacities to its max. My biggest challenge in this process was playing a game of tag between me and the engineer. We wanted to get something out to the community that could help them, especially for the first responders. The community gives us so much year-round, it’s great to give back.”
Nathan Hall, SEA-LECT Plastics Mold Apprentice
This effort provided plenty of work for his team of engineers, mold-makers and operators to produce more than 2,000 masks to date on two Milacron MTs 125-ton injection molding machines.
“I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to SEA-LECT, whose swift response to our new reality has been exemplary. The Coronavirus pandemic is reminding us of how vital manufacturing in the plastics industry is to combat this pandemic, and SEA-LECT’s initiatives make us proud to work with their team to keep up the pace on important projects like these.”
Tom Brown - Milacron, Vice President of Sales, Western Region
Supplier chain challenges proved the only delay to this team’s efforts in delivering the masks to the market, as N95 filters were delayed as well as elastic material needed for the masks to be worn. Following this same path, SEA-LECT internal mold engineers and mold-making team are capable of producing a larger size mark following the purchase of a second aluminum base, while perfecting the original design.
Since this endeavor, Poischbeg mentions he is witnessing a decreased demand for masks, which could be attributed to the shift in manufacturers producing masks that are ADA and FDA compliant. The masks in production should not be considered compliant, as it is a timely and costly process. Test data on the masks' performance is available online.
Currently, SEA-LECT is offering these masks for FREE to local non-profits, first responders, and others on the front line. For additional parties, the plastic molds can be purchased and immediately shipped at $2 each unit, with a 50-cent additional up-charge to include the replaceable filters.
The apprentices inside SEA-LECT’s manufacturing facility in Everett were instrumental to this project, just one of many essential actions that kept their doors open during this time. SEA-LECT’s apprenticeship program is one of Washington state’s leading advocates for apprenticeship programs.
Following in SEA-LECT’s footsteps for this project is costly and nearly impossible for many manufacturers, who simply do not have access to experienced mold-makers in the United States. These employees are in high demand due to the lack of knowledge and other imperative skills in today’s workforce. The AJAC apprenticeship partnership with SEA-LECT began in 2013 to help train new employees to enter the workforce.
About SEA-LECT
SEA-LECT Plastics Corporation, based in Everett, Washington, provides plastic injection molding, design, product development and expert tooling through skilled employees, improved processes, innovation and strong customer relationships. SEA-LECT Plastics is a sister company of renowned marine hardware supplier SEA-DOG Corporation, which realized the potential of plastic injection molding in the 1980s and founded SEA-LECT Plastics in 1995.
Visit SEA-LECT at www.sealectplastics.com.
For information on SEA-LECT’s apprenticeship programs, visit sealectplastics.com/apprenticeship-programs/.
About Milacron
Milacron is a global leader in the manufacture, distribution, and service of highly engineered and customized systems within the plastic technology and processing industry. Milacron offers global solutions that include injection molding and extrusion equipment, plus a wide market range of advanced auxiliary technologies.
Visit Milacron at www.milacron.com.
