Selkirk firms taking part in joint effort to make face masks for medics and carers

Cademuir Engineering and Eadie Bros and Co are working with Edinburgh Shield Force, a club of engineering enthusiasts making 3D-printed face shields for front-line workers including staff at the Borders General Hospital in Melrose.

They have helped make more than 25,000 face shields, costing £2 each, since the start of last month, with a further 15,000 being in production.

Having already worked together to supply carers and businesses with visors, including 10,000 made for fellow Selkirk company the Guthrie Group, Eadie Bros were approached by Edinburgh Shield Force and asked to help make headbands for face shields it is distributing to healthcare workers.

The initiative is being paid for by a crowdfunding appeal, and it has raised almost £35,000 so far.

Using Eadie Bros’ injection-moulding tool while production started on a second mould, Cademuir has made headbands using equipment enabling each part to be only robotically handled, minimising contamination risk and increasing its production rate to 3,500 a day.

Marc Phaup, production manager at Cademuir Engineering, off Dunsdale Road, said: “It is fantastic to be involved in this important project for our National Health Service, along with supplying local businesses like the Guthrie Group.

“There are a lot of different groups who have come together to achieve the goal of getting PPE to our front-line workers.”

Alan Skeldon, of the Guthrie Group’s nearby base, said: “It is great to have local businesses with the ability to make face shields, allowing us to supply to local healthcare facilities.”

A spokesperson for Edinburgh Shield Force added: “This project has only been possible because of the combined experience of our team, the tireless dedication of our volunteers, the flexibility and hard work of our partners Eadie Bros and Co and Cademuir Engineering and the willingness of everyone to work together with the common aim of helping our NHS workers.

“Brian Eadie has been crucial to the achievement of reaching this injection-moulding milestone within a month of the project start.

“He had already completed his own injection-mould tooling and begun producing parts we are now using to supplement our own 3D-printing operations.

“Brian was ready to machine a revised version of his own tool, but after we reached out to him, he instead offered immediately to let us use his machining effort for our improved design.

“This enabled us to produce a finished steel tool weeks earlier than we could have done otherwise.

“We must also thank the team at Cademuir Engineering who have worked flat out on our behalf.

“While keeping Brian’s first tool running, they designed, machined, set up, tested and tuned our new tool in one week flat and are now hosting our production.”

To donate, go to www.crowdfunder.co.uk/edinburgh-emergency-medical-supplies

Eadie Bros and Co is a two-man product design consultancy based at Philiphaugh, and Cademuir Engineering is an injection-moulding firm with 31 members of staff, though 14 are currently on furlough.