SOLVAY AND BOEING PARTNER ON COVID-19 FACE SHIELDS

“Supersonic” collaboration between strategic partners Solvay and Boeing is yielding over 38,000 face shields to protect healthcare workers.

- Jeff Hrivnak

When speed is essential, longstanding industry relationships can give projects a big head start. Case in point: when Boeing approached innovation partner Solvay for help with producing protective face shields, the company immediately jumped on board. Solvay recommended film made from its medical-grade Radel® polyphenyl sulfone (PPSU) as a potential solution. Within just four days, Solvay film samples were approved by Boeing for the face shields.

Boeing selected 20-mil-thick Radel® PPSU film, which is produced by Solvay’s Ajedium™ Films business. The film is attached to 3D printed headbands to create the face shields. Because Solvay is vertically integrated, there was a reliable supply of the film at a time when there is stiff global competition for alternative face shield materials, such as polycarbonate (PC).