Boeing joins coronavirus manufacturing efforts, builds face shields for medical workers

Coronavirus has stopped work at many Boeing operations around the country, including facilities in the Seattle area. But some of those shop floors are still being used to make face shields for medical workers.

Boeing usually uses 3D printers to make tools. Now, those printers are making the frames for face shields. It's a collaborative effort involving volunteer workers at more than a dozen shop floors across the country.

The printers scribe the shape of the frame, which sits above the eyebrow. Clear film for the shields, as well as elastic to make the frames fit, are being donated by suppliers.

Face shields add an extra layer of protection that medical workers need, as they risk being splattered with bodily fluids carrying the coronavirus. Boeing says it delivered its first batch of 2,300 shields to the federal government and plans to deliver thousands more.

Boeing operations in Everett, Auburn, Tukwila, and Renton are all involved in the effort.