With increased need for personal protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic, Pflugerville-based Essentium Materials has begun producing PPE using 3D printing technology. 
Essentium, an industrial-scale additive manufacturer, has partnered with the Texas Division of Emergency Management, the Texas Military Department and other organizations to provide PPE throughout the state, according to a June 24 company news release.
“The State of Texas is creating a potential blueprint for sustainable access to PPE," Essentium CEO and co-founder Blake Teipel said in the release. "We are proud to be part of this initiative, and I commend Governor Abbott’s visionary leadership in setting a path of clarity and water-tight coordination in its creation and ensuring it is subject to the highest level of oversight.”
More than 60,000 3D-printed face mask kits have been produced for Texas by Essentium. Each kit includes a reusable mask frame that can be cleaned between uses, as well as single-use filters. With replaceable filters included, the kits represent "the equivalent of providing between 1.9 to 3.8 million individual masks," the release states.
