With an original mission to help their local community hospitals and healthcare workers, Superfeet and sister company Flowbuilt Manufacturing successfully produced and delivered 42,000 PAPR hoods to hospitals in the northwestern region of United States during the month of April. Effective immediately, the company is opening an additional 30,000-unit capacity for May to help meet continued nationwide demand.
When Superfeet pivoted to manufacturing PAPR hoods, their team approached building PPE product like they do insoles, with the intent for the end product to be highly durable, easy to use and comfortable to wear. Following this ethos, the Superfeet team took a single-use product and upgraded it to be reusable, sanitizable and multi-system compatible. They designed their hood to be natively compatible with the 3M Air-Mate™ system. Printed on Flowbuilt’s HP Multi Jet Fusion 3D printers, Superfeet PAPR adaptors allow the hoods to be used with all major PAPR systems found in hospitals across the country.
“Superfeet spent the last 43 years keeping people on their feet. We’ve applied our best practices for product durability and adaptability, developed over decades of insole and footwear making, to the production of PPE for the fight against COVID-19,” says John Rauvola, CEO and President at Superfeet. “We’ve been thrilled with the response from the front-line heroes using our hoods and are proud to continue our focus on keeping the medical community on their feet and protected in this time of great need.”
In addition to being reusable and cleanable (UV and wipe sanitizable), Superfeet PAPR hoods are also designed to be strong enough to stand up to the rigors of their intended environment. The PAPR hoods are compatible with:
- 3M Air-Mate™
- 3M Versaflo ™
- ILC Dover Sentinel XL®
- Honeywell North ®
Superfeet continues to offer their 3D printers and manufacturing capabilities in the effort to combat COVID-19. Medical facilities in need of PAPR hoods and other personal protective equipment (PPE) can reach out to covidresponse@superfeet.com to determine if Superfeet can be of assistance.
ABOUT SUPERFEET: For more than 40 years, Pacific Northwest-based Superfeet has been creating innovative products featuring the Superfeet® shape, helping millions of people worldwide experience unparalleled comfort, pain relief and performance. Today, through Fitstation and the latest advancements in 3D-printing technology, Superfeet is taking insoles and footwear from mass-produced products to personalized, made-for-you solutions. A 100% employee-owned company, Superfeet gives 1% of sales and countless volunteer hours to help others shape a strong foundation for a healthy future. For more, visit superfeet.com.
ABOUT FLOWBUILT: Flowbuilt Manufacturing is the only USA based full-service footwear manufacturing facility to offer mass-customization through proprietary multi-section injection technology. Clearing the way for brands to design and deliver the future before anyone else can, the Flowbuilt facility boasts cutting-edge 3D-printers and innovative machinery that flexes easily between creating a single custom pair of shoes to efficiently manufacturing thousands of pairs. At Flowbuilt, ideas flow from design to prototype through products built for today’s consumers, all under one roof. Learn more about Flowbuilt Manufacturing at: https://www.flowbuiltmfg.com/
