FIELDING THE FUTURE
Makerspace has 3D printers and cold metal transfer mills. Prototyping uses mostly polylactic acid (PLA), a natural polymer that comes from renewable resources such as cornstarch or sugar cane and is a substi- tute for petroleum-based plastics.
Initially the discussion of how the 1st SFG (A) could best contribute zeroed in on ventilator components, and the U.S. Special Operations Command put out a request for ideas via its Vulcan platform. Te unit also prototyped and discussed the possibility of making N95 respira- tors, but learned of considerable difficulties involved because of limited availability of the three-layer filters.
It was increasingly clear that the most urgent need was to supply health care facilities with PPE. Te private-sector Providence Health System, headquartered in the Seattle suburb of Renton, Wash- ington, had just launched its 100 Million Mask Challenge, enlisting manufacturers of various kinds.
Te battalion got input from the medi- cal community through both official and informal channels; both Jones and Group Surgeon Col. Rodd Marcum are married to registered nurses. Te objective would be to make Madigan’s versatile surgi- cal and sterilization wrap into a simple protective mask that patients could wear to reduce the risk of transmitting respira- tory disease to other patients and clinical staff, or that staff could wear to extend the functional life span of critical PPE in acutely short supply.
But before a needle could touch cloth, standards had to be set. Besides the mate- rials that the Soldiers of the 1st SFG (A) would use, there were the questions of how to put together a face cover most efficiently, and how to ensure a clean envi- ronment in which to make them.
Te process—“getting all the material, getting the personnel together and really developing the product”—was the biggest challenge facing them, Cathey said. “How were we going to do it in assembly-line fashion so that we utilize the minimum number of people to do the maximum amount of masks each day? It’s been defi- nitely a learning curve. We’ve got it pretty well refined now.”
SAFETY CHECK In short order, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jeremy Vann, allied trades warrant officer for the 1st SFG (A), had printed prototype face shields out of PLA, using his personal 3D printer based on designs from the NIH 3D Print Exchange and following guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Army Medi- cal Research and Development Command (MRDC), as the Army focal point and sponsor for COVID-19 projects.. Jones and his team put together a prototype face cover, using a sewing machine, to discuss with Marcum, his wife, who works at Madigan, and the group executive officer.
With guidance from the group’s preven- tive medicine team, the Soldiers set out to
ensure that “work-site processes met infec- tion control standards,” including how to properly sanitize the workstations before beginning full-scale production, how to monitor the health status of personnel, and production tracing, similar to how para- chutes are packed and tracked for quality assurance and control.
“Tey’re very particular on safety, very particular on managing and oversight of who packs the chutes,” Jones said. “Tat transitions very easily to making the masks and figuring out, if something goes wrong, what went wrong in the process.”
Te group developed the process in coor- dination with Chief Warrant Officer 3 Richmond Minton, the senior allied trades technology NCO on the I Corps G-4 (logistics) staff, and the 308th Brigade Support Battalion, which has access to additive manufacturing equipment. Minton, in turn, worked to get MRDC approval for the process, Jones said.
Te masks and face covers are intended solely for Madigan and its service network. For the three cloth masks, tested and approved by Madigan’s industrial hygiene
“During this crisis, it is crucial
for the security of the nation to keep our Soldiers protected, healthy and ready to support COVID-19 response efforts and national defense.”
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