The Ventilator Challenge | Celebrating our CNC Team 

The Ventilator Challenge | Celebrating our CNC Team

We know we’re not alone in the ongoing struggle that COVID-19 presents from a health, work and life perspective. It is a difficult time for us all, but we wanted to take a moment to recognise and congratulate our CNC team who have faced adversity and risen to the Ventilator Challenge regardless. 

The Ventilator Challenge 

We all know that the Ventilator Challenge is the UK’s response to the Government’s call to the engineering and manufacturing community to fast-track a simpler ventilator system. We know that this is a medical device and so its design, prototype and manufacture need to comply with the necessary regulatory requirements. And we know that time is critical in helping save lives. 

Our Local Engineering Community 

Answering the Government’s priority call are many of our clients in our local engineering community, in and around Cambridge. 

A joint statement, signed by all involved parties on 31 March 2020, confirmed: 

“Cambridge Consultants, PA Consulting, Sagentia, Team Consulting and TTP plc took up the challenge and MetLase provided industrial support. These companies represent the renowned Cambridge Cluster, Europe’s largest technology hub, with more than 1,500 companies employing tens of thousands.”  

Developing the Ventilators 

Working from home, or at a distance, our local engineering community has been (and continues to be) working tirelessly on the development of these much-needed ventilators.  

As is true in all product development, and especially for these important medical devices, it is crucial to test the devices through prototyping. To ensure that we, Prototype Projects, is (and continues to be) fit for business to prototype these ventilators, we quickly adjusted our working methods to keep our staff healthy and safe. 

Facing adversity

As COVID-19 has spread rapidly around the globe, this unseen enemy has trespassed upon all our lives and, despite everyone’s resolve, the need to self-isolate to ensure limit the risk of spreading the disease further has become part of our everyday speech. 

We have not been immune, despite our safety measures. 

At times, in the last few weeks, our CNC team has had to manage with a restricted workforce of just 50% at its worst. In addition, some of the team members remain in self-isolation to ensure the continued protection of their loved ones; they have then continued to work from home by carrying out the offline programming work, thereby relieving pressure on the rest of the team. 

And so, with this in mind, we ask you to join us and thank Ian Reinemann, Michal Mikolajczyk, Greg Gorman and Tony Kumm, AKA Prototype Projects’ CNC Team, for their dedication and continued efforts to work together as a strong team to ensure that we, as a company, can continue to program, machine and finish accurate, quality ventilator parts and, ultimately, save lives.

Ready to start your next prototype project?

Prototype Projects is a UK-based prototyping bureau delivering high-quality prototype parts in fast turnaround times.

In addition to our CNC machining and CNC milling service, we offer a 3D printing service for SLS, SLA, FDM and DLP parts as well as a laser cutting service. We also provide an online SLS 3D printing instant quoting and ordering additive manufacturing service, called My 3D AM.

Contact us on 01763 249760 to discuss your next prototype project.

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