When the Minneapolis StarTribune published an article (Macgyver Ventilator) informing the community of a local effort at the University of Minnesota to solve the urgent need for ventilators, design engineer Chad Sandell and CEO David Struyk agreed that Ironwood should offer to help. Less than 24 hours after sending their offer, the Coventor team responded with part models and an urgent need for 25 prototypes of three critical custom components – a plunger, bushing, and control arm.
Lacking part specifications and requiring a material did not stock, Ironwood immediately prioritized these parts and got to k. In a parallel and well-coordinated team effort, Ironwood created specifications, acquired material, manufactured, and hand delivered the prototypes to the University of Minnesota – all within 24 hours of the University’s request for help! For Ironwood, this represented a radical shift in process and production. 
Accustomed to manufacturing precision test sockets for the semiconductor industry, Ironwood is not in the business of general purpose machining.
Since then, numerous Coventor team members have expressed their gratitude and appreciation to Ironwood for their support. Coventor is expecting an answer from the FDA soon, and if approved, demand for these ventilators is likely spike into the thousands, with units potentially shipped all over the world. The community at large also stepped up their offers to help, so much, in fact, that the Coventor team had to turn away numerous offers for help.
The team at Ironwood, whose rapid response has contributed to the effort to save lives during this pandemic, is proud to be a partner in this project and a member of a community willing to contribute in a time of need.
Filed Under: Fighting COVID-19