CNC fabrication and machining has played a large role in keeping workers and families safer during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it will continue to make a difference throughout 2021.
Items like sneeze guards and similar barriers are in high demand, especially for essential customer service businesses and healthcare facilities. Not only do these products help prevent the spread of germs, but they can also be used to facilitate social distancing.
As a leading plastic fabrication company in Ohio, FabShapes has created the proprietary CoronaGuard plastic sheets system as well as plastic face shields for the medical industry. Our see-through plastic sheets can be customized to fit your space and partition, allowing you to serve customers or communicate with your team efficiently and easily.
These are only two examples of how plastic fabrication has had and will continue to have a positive impact on efforts to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
How the COVID-19 Pandemic Will Continue to Change the Plastic Fabrication Industry in 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the plastic fabrication industry in 2020, requiring many businesses to adjust to consumers’ changing needs.
Because products like sneeze guards are necessary for coronavirus prevention, they are expected to remain in high demand throughout 2021. Plastic fabrication companies that have these products available and ready for quick and easy installation fulfill a need in the community. At the same time, providing these products helps manufacturers sustain their own businesses as well.
The plastic fabrication and CNC machining industry will continue to play this pivotal role throughout 2021, especially as the vaccines are being distributed. With more than 100 million Americans expected to be vaccinated by the summer, plastics will certainly be needed to ensure patient safety during the vaccination process.
Despite the optimism regarding the vaccines, experts caution that we must remain vigilant to protect ourselves throughout 2021. That means that as businesses, schools, medical practices, and social services begin to return to normal, plastic face shields, sneeze guards, intubation boxes, and barriers will continue to be in high demand.
Plastics may even help ensure that the vaccines are stored and transported in the required subzero temperatures. Plastics News and Urethanes Technology International note that German company Mecotec introduced a mobile shopping container with polyurethane insulation that can hold a temperature of -80 degrees Celsius.
This is only one example of the revolutionary plastic products that could be developed for use throughout the coronavirus pandemic and vaccination processes.
Making Face Shields Available for Medical Professionals
In addition to developing the CoronaGuard plastic sheets system, FabShapes has also mass produced plastic face shields, which were designed and engineered by MIT Project Manus. Throughout the pandemic, our country faced a shortage of personal protective equipment for medical professionals, so we were proud to produce and distribute low-cost, disposable face shields for use in medical facilities.
FabShapes also offered intubation boxes, clear plastic barriers that protect patients, doctors, nurses, and other medical staff when the intubation process is required.
How Barriers and Guards are Making a Difference
Sneeze guards and other barriers are used in medical facilities, banks and credit unions, auto repair shops, grocery stores, gas stations, and restaurants, all of which are essential to everyday life. Without this added protection, drivers, attendants, and customers would be left at risk.
Especially notable is the use of such barriers within the ride share industry, such as Uber and Lyft.
Due to coronavirus risks, passengers are likely to feel safer in a ride share vehicle than in a crowded bus or passenger train. Nevertheless, virtual strangers must sit together in one ride share vehicle, and as for the driver, that means breathing in the air of multiple passengers every day.
Installing sneeze guards or other partitions, such as our CoronaGuard plastic sheets, in these vehicles can make both drivers and passengers feel more comfortable and protected.
Because these barriers are made of durable, clear, lightweight, thin plastic, they’re ideal for the inside of a vehicle. Drivers and passengers can hear and see each other without worrying about germs traveling between the front and back of the vehicle. The barriers can be cut to size for particular vehicle models, helping to ensure a secure fit.
They are also flat and easy to clean, so the driver can easily sanitize the guards after dropping off passengers.
Staying Up-to-Date with the Plastics Industry
In order to provide our customers with outstanding service, FabShapes makes every effort to stay informed about news and advancements in the plastics industry.
Contact us for more information about any of our products, processes, or services. We offer comprehensive solutions for a wide range of plastic machining and fabrication needs, and we focus on providing customers with top-quality, reliable results quickly. Let us know how we can help you.