To help support frontline workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, engineering foam parts supplier Atermit (Adana / Turkey; www.atermit.com) is now manufacturing face shields using “Arpro” expanded polypropylene (EPP) particle foam. Arpro is typically used in the automotive and construction industries.

The Turkish EPP and EPS foam specialist with several factories in the country (see Plasteurope.com of 10.04.2017) developed a face shield for healthcare workers, adapting a design for a helmet made from Arpro to manufacture the headpiece of the face shield. Using the EPP foam created a face shield that weighs 80 g. For every four shields that are sold, Atermit said it is donating one to those who need it most.

Emin Özgür, managing partner at Atermit, said the company is currently delivering the face shields in Turkey but is looking into export markets too. The first exports are marked for customer JSP (Tokyo / Japan; www.jsp.com), a specialist in plastics foams. “We also envisage others using the product, such as cashiers, security and reception personnel, or anyone doing house visits and meeting others frequently during this period,” Özgür added.