Pharmaworks Unites Packaging Industry to Fight COVID-19

Pharmaworks, a ProMach product brand specializing in pharmaceutical blister packaging machinery, is leveraging their capabilities to produce and donate face shields to help meet the needs of healthcare professionals and first responders. With over 17,000 face shields donated to date and thousands more being made each day, Pharmaworks is asking the manufacturing community for PETG or PVC packaging material donations so they can help even more people.

“At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw the urgent need to connect with companies who have these hard-to-find materials in storage to supply essential workers who desperately need personal protective equipment,” said Peter Buczynsky, vice president and general manager of Pharmaworks. “We’re able to use our resources – our thermoformers for blister packs, our talent for innovation and adaptation, our hardworking team, our industry relationships – to protect people on the front lines across the nation.”

The face shields combine an injection-molded rigid frame and a die-cut front shield, which are simply snapped together by the recipient and can be easily cleaned and re-used. The design was developed in collaboration with iQuest, Inc. and healthcare professions in accordance with CDC recommendations. Verified by test labs, the face shields are ANSI Z87.1-2015 certified.

“In addition to making face shields here in house, we are able to ship die and hole punches to customers who already own Pharmaworks thermoforming machines or systems we’ve upgraded, so they can produce face shields in their own facilities. We’ve also made our face shield design available open-source for others to use,” said Buczynsky. “Everyone is working together to make this project happen – the Pharmaworks team, our parent-company ProMach, our partners and customers, material suppliers, the maker community and many others.”

In order to continue the effort, Pharmaworks is asking for PETG or PVC packaging material donations. For companies that are interested in providing face shields to their local communities with material they’ve donated, Pharmaworks will die-cut the sheets for free and only charge for the frames to offset expenses and keep the project going. All donated material is only used for donations.

To learn more and find out how to help, visit www.PWFaceShield.com.