Avfuel Begins PPE Production for Local Hospitals

Michigan-based Avfuel has joined the ranks of aviation companies that have turned their attention to producing personal protective equipment (PPE) for the medical community in the fight against Covid-19.

Workers who manufacture and maintain refueler trucks in Avfuel's Avtank division have begun using 3D printers to create face mask ear hooks and face shield headbands to help protect front-line health workers. As of last week, the Ann Arbor company produced 200 ear hooks, which were sent to a company for sterilization and packaging, for donation to the University of Michigan Hospital. Facing a limit on printing capacity, the team will add higher capacity devices with a goal of producing more than 100 items per day.

“Southeast Michigan is our home, and it’s been one of the hardest-hit locations in the country,” said Brad Van Camp, the fuel provider’s technical operations manager, adding that Ann Arbor is a major medical hub fighting the Covid-19 pandemic and, as such, is affected by the PPE shortage. “Avfuel wanted to do all it could to support that effort. As such, our talented team members quickly modified a design and started prototyping the face shield headbands and mask ear hooks last week; we should reach production capacity in mid-April.”