JLR turns its expertise to PPE as car production stops

JAGUAR Land Rover has started producing NHS-approved protective visors using 3D printing technology at its factory in Warwickshire.

The company recently stopped production of cars at its plants across the West Midlands and North West as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak. It has now turned its technology to making the reusable masks at its rapid prototype 3D printing facility.

The design for the mask has been developed in consultation with a team of NHS healthcare professionals for efficient rapid prototype printing at the Advanced Product Creation Centre in Gaydon. Initially,

JLR will 3D print 1,300 visors each week for key workers, with the possibility of developing the operation for mass production.

The move comes as NHS workers across the country plead with the Government for more Personal Protective Equipment for staff working on the frontline of combating the disease.

Pre-line trials have already taken place with a team of healthcare professionals at the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Swindon and South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust before assembly began at JLR.

Using rapid prototyping technology has enabled engineers to work through several iterations of the design in under a week, allowing for medical staff to feed back and improvements to be made.

Engineers in the Additive Manufacturing Centre, who have designed and manufactured the visors, are now in discussions with suppliers and partners to scale up production.

JLR said it intended to make the design files available to additive manufacturers and suppliers so many more protective visors could be printed over the coming weeks.

Ben Wilson, JLR’s additive manufacturing and prototype design manager, said: “It’s been a real team effort, we’ve trialled different materials and improved the design over several iterations in consultation with real doctors and nurses on the frontline.

“This has allowed us to create something unique and truly fit-for-purpose.

“While this is a small effort, it is vital we help as many people as we can by utilising our resources.

“Collaborative teams working at Jaguar Land Rover, along with the wider computer-aided design and 3D printing community, will continue to do what we can to help healthcare workers.”