Elastomerics Blog

2020 has been a tumultuous year for the world dealing with the coronavirus. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many lives and every place of work. When the pandemic hit in March, Stockwell Elastomerics had to make many adjustments, with many office staff working from home and  adjustments to the production team working on site.

Assorted parts for medical equipment used in COVID-19 response

As an essential business, Stockwell Elastomerics mobilized available resources to support important existing medical customers as well as new initiatives related to the COVID-19 response. Most of these were guided by the government-supported nationwide manufacturing of critical equipment like ventilators, personal protective equipment (PPE), and other important medical equipment. In March and April there were so many unknowns and fears about hospital capacity, ventilator shortages, and general anxiety over an emerging disease. At Stockwell Elastomerics, the efforts to manufacture components used to fight this contagion provided a purpose and motivation – helping make the medical equipment that was used in the response.

Before the pandemic, Stockwell Elastomerics manufactured a variety of parts that were used in different ventilators and medical diagnostic equipment. As the pandemic worsened, production had to be ramped up to support the exponential growth in demand for medical equipment. Additionally, new inquiries came in that allowed Stockwell Elastomerics to lend a hand in creating products such as neck drapes and intubation barriers. Stockwell Elastomerics’ rapid response model was challenged during this time – with a thinned-out staff and high volume of production, everyone had to balance the duty to support critical healthcare infrastructure with the commitment to customers in other industries.

Example of a ventilator manifold gasket, fabricated using a waterjet and inspected using a 3D-printed gauge

Stockwell Elastomerics’ unique manufacturing capabilities proved to be powerful in supporting a variety of COVID-19 related projects. Whether it involved printing 3D check gauges to accurately inspect complex geometries, turning around stocked inventory within days for critical needs, providing material suggestions, or production teams working 3 shifts to keep up with the workload while maintaining social distancing requirements, employees felt a sense of personal and professional responsibility in supporting COVID-19 related manufacturing efforts. Stockwell Elastomerics was, and continues to be, proud to support these efforts in any way possible.

Manufacturing and engineering support continues to prioritize work to support medical industry applications related to treating COVID-19. Contact Stockwell Elastomerics for further assistance with medical equipment components.