The TNSD team
Nashville, Tenn.-based startup Tennessee Stone & Design (TNSD) announced that it is distributing free personal protective equipment (PPE) kits to volunteers across the U.S. to make protective face shields.
TNSD, a product design company, designed the kits so they can be assembled at home and claims that 100 face shields can be produced in minimal time with little setup and no special tools involved. Once assembled, the face shields can be used by healthcare employees and other essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The kits include instructions for safe assembly and handling, guidance on logistics and quality control as well as end-user documentation. TNSD also has a help desk and order desk for processing and support. The design costs about $1.80 per shield.
“With the help of the broader online open-source design community of medical professionals, engineers, and inventors, we’ve focused on a design that requires no special tools or skills – which is key to allowing a wide range of small businesses, traditional community groups like churches and clubs, and even at-home individuals not able to work, the chance to contribute in a time of need,” TNSD CEO B.T. Ulrich said in a news release.
TNSD said in the release that both assemblers and healthcare facilities have reported positively on the kits and final products. The company is still raising money through donations and intends to provide as many free kits for volunteers as they can.
