3D printed headbands for face shields produced by Ivy Tech Community College Fort Wayne/Warsaw. Photo provided.

Press Release

FORT WAYNE — Ivy Tech Community College Fort Wayne/Warsaw has joined a statewide effort to address the current personal protective equipment (PPE) shortage due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Fort Wayne/Warsaw Campus has begun using its 3D printers to produce more than one thousand face shields. A portion of the face shields will be shipped to Indianapolis for statewide distribution, while another portion will stay in northeast Indiana to meet community needs and will be distributed in partnership with Parkview Health, said a news release from Ivy Tech Community College Fort Wayne/Warsaw.

The Fort Wayne/Warsaw location is deploying two staff and ten 3D printers to help meet the critical need for PPE in long-term care facilities. Ivy Tech Fort Wayne faculty members are printing headbands, assembling the finished product, and shipping to Parkview for distribution to long-term care facilities throughout northeast Indiana. This product is part of a larger collaborative effort with the Ivy Tech Community College system.

“At Ivy Tech Fort Wayne, we believe that our mission is to support the community we serve,” said Darrel Kesler, dean of the Schools of Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering, and Applied Science and Information Technology. “We know there’s a need across the country, and we want to do our part to serve our local communities.

The college’s partnership with Parkview “allows us to quickly get these tangible tools in the hands of where they are needed the most,” said Kesler.