Active winglet manufacturer Tamarack Aerospace Group has begun producing medical-grade masks for its local hospital after learning it was running low on some personal protective equipment because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Sandpoint, Idaho-based manufacturer said. “We tapped into our resources to see where we could help meet their needs,” noted Tamarack president Jacob Klinginsmith.

Repurposing its additive manufacturing equipment and using CAD, Tamarack engineers have been 3D printing reusable masks designed by doctors in Billings, Montana, called the “Montana Mask.” Equipped with a small, industrial filter that Tamarack said provides equivalent protection to an N95 mask, the company has produced more than 60 of the masks for Bonner County General Hospital and said it will continue to do so until the need subsides.

Other employees have been sewing face masks, of which they’ve produced 50 so far. Both the sewn and 3D-printed masks have been distributed directly to the hospital. Additionally, Tamarack contacted its connections in Shenzhen, China, to help the hospital source 2,400 FDA-approved N95 masks.