SmileDirectClub Will Start Making Face Shields for Doctors and Nurses
Under normal circumstances, SmileDirectClub (NASDAQ: SDC) basically does one thing: It makes and sells customized teeth-straightening aligners directly to the public. But these are not normal times. With the COVID-19 epidemic growing, the company has begun to use its 3-D manufacturing capacity to produce medical-grade face shields and respiratory face masks for the healthcare workers on the front lines of the crisis -- as many as 7,500 a day. St. Luke's Boise (Idaho) Medical Center will receive the first batch of 1,000 face masks.
SmileDirectClub is one of the largest 3-D printing based manufacturing operations in the United States -- the flexibility of those devices allows it to create plastic aligners to fit its customers individually. That same quality is allowing it to rapidly shift some of its FDA-certified production facilities to start manufacturing protective gear for healthcare professionals. It was only last week that it made public its plans to do this.
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Source Fool.com
