Spectrum Custom Molds mobilizes to help health care workers wear masks more comfortably
In normal times, Spectrum Custom Molds and Manufacturing, Inc. would be focused on making products for the plumbing industry, using injection mold technology, as well as other unrelated products for a variety of clients.
With the devastating arrival of the coronavirus pandemic, Mike and Lori Guidoboni felt the veteran-owned company needed to do something more, to mobilize, if you will, with a product that first responders and health care workers could use.
That something turned out to be a reusable elastic mask relief strap that the Guidobonis and their staff at 2110 58th Ave. E., started manufacturing by the thousands three week ago and donating to first responders and health care workers.
The mask bands are attached to a six-inch long pliable plastic strap worn on the back of the head, rather than on the ears. The straps relieve the tension and irritation that mask wearers experience from wearing a mask for an extended period.
“Mike saw one on the internet. A kid in Canada was making them on a 3-D printer. That’s a very slow process, but Mike thought it was a great idea. So our mold makers over in the shop built a mold within two days — maybe three, I think — which is really rare. They started producing them and I started calling around nurses associations in different states, including Florida, and they were thrilled. So we have just been donating them, sending them out 1,000 at a time,” Lori said.
The strap is made from virgin polyproplene pellets that are scooped out of a 1,500-pound box resting on the shop floor box. The pellets are poured into a mold and, with heat and pressure, emerge as straps. Any rough edges are removed by hand.
“It allows the plastic to be flexible so it doesn’t irritate the back of the head or cut the skin. We estimate that we can shoot somewhere between 40,000 and 60,000 mask relief straps,” Mike said of the material his company has on hand.
The straps can be sanitized with isopropyl alcohol, hand sanitizer or other approved liquid or gel, and reused.
“Health care professionals and first responders are our front line of defense against COVID-19,” the Guidobonis say.
To date, Spectrum Custom has donated about 12,000 straps, including 2,000 to Tampa Bay health care workers, 1,000 to Florida Nurses Association, 1,000 to Manatee County EMS, 1,000 to Hillsborough County EMS, 1,000 to Orange County EMS, 2,000 to Michigan Nurses Association, 1,000 to Louisiana Nurses Association, and 1,000 to the Illinois Nurses Association.
“We will continue to donate until we run out of material for production,” Lori said.
Mike Guidoboni is a veteran who served eight years in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper and as a member of the Signal Corps. Lori grew up in a military family. Her father served in the Army during the Vietnam War.
The Guidobonis have donated the mold design and manufacturing, as well as shipping cost for straps sent to first responders and health care workers.
They hope to balance the cost of the donated straps with retail sales of the product to individuals.
For more information about purchase of straps, call 941-753-5357. The straps retail for $1 each, with a minimum order of 50, plus the cost of shipping.
For more information about the company and the products it manufactures, which range from guitar hole covers to USB kits, and more, visit https://www.spectrumcustommfg.com/.
