In the early days of the COVID pandemic, the scramble for urgent medical supplies was desperate. Supply chains were frozen, the future was uncertain, and hospitals were running low on personal protective equipment (PPE). While it may have seemed like everything was crashing down, it was the perfect time for rapid prototyping, ingenuity, and local problem-solvers to shine.

In March, Renown Medical Center, the leading regional hospital system for Northern Nevada, needed more battery packs for respirators—vital equipment that protected doctors and nurses from COVID-19. But ordering more in a country paralyzed by a pandemic was out of the question.

Medical officials asked around at the University of Nevada, Reno for help and were connected with my company, a rapid prototyping outfit that operates out of the university’s Innevation Center. I immediately agreed to build the respirator battery packs from scratch pro-bono, but needed to figure out some logistics. Renown needed them on a quick turnaround and I couldn’t get any off-the-shelf components.

Not only were the components a hurdle, but in a world suddenly on lockdown, the assembly of the respirator battery packs wasn’t going to be a normal workshop process. My living room became my workshop, and I designed a battery pack that I could screw together that didn’t need to solder together.

The design was simple to execute, but required some custom cut metal parts to bring the entire battery pack together—chiefly a breakless bend in the metal that would allow for the simple assembly. I immediately thought of SendCutSend, a company I have worked with over the years to laser cut prototyping material, known for its rapid turnaround time. The moment I reached out to SendCutSend about this project to help the hospitals fight COVID-19, they didn’t blink an eye and said they would work on the project for free. I knew they would be fast, reliable, and get the job done right.

All the pieces were in place, but the clock was ticking. In those urgent days as the pandemic devastated Seattle and then New York, we had to work quickly to deliver the respirator battery packs as quickly as possible to the medical workers facing a rapidly spreading virus.

I laser cut ABS backplates and 3D printed clips and when SendCutSend’s stainless steel battery cage pieces arrived, we began assembling the entire battery pack into its final form. We assembled 100 battery pack units and delivered them to Renown Medical Center. The entire process, from inception to design to completed product, took about three weeks. They were put in use immediately and the battery packs worked flawlessly.

The entire rapid prototyping task led to one more job—a respirator hose adapter I was able to complete for Renown soon after the battery packs were delivered. For someone like me who is constantly prototyping and producing products for a wide range of industries, this project also showcased the powerful problem-solving ability that a company like mine can deliver when paired with a rapid-turn laser cutting service like SendCutSend.

When you can simply send a file and have it back the next day is a critical benefit when working on a project like the respirator battery pack project, during a time when this infection was spreading rapidly every day. Getting something quick was imperative. Moreover, it highlighted the incredible capabilities of smart, adaptable American manufacturing and prototyping companies that can spring into action at a moment’s notice and deliver ingenious solutions rapidly.

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Michael Gillette is the founder of Nevada Jumpstarter, a rapid prototyping outfit that operates out of the University of Nevada, Reno’s Innevation Center.