Ford, in collaboration with GE Healthcare, says they will be able to produce 50,000 ventilators within 100 days, and up to 30,000 a month thereafter as needed.
The American carmaker will provide its manufacturing capabilities to quickly scale production, and GE Healthcare will provide its clinical expertise and will license the current ventilator design from Airon Corp., a small, privately held company specializing in high-tech pneumatic life support products. GE Healthcare brought the Airon Corp. design to Ford’s attention as part of the companies’ efforts to scale production of ventilators quickly to help clinicians treat COVID-19 patients.
The GE/Airon Model A-E ventilator uses a design that operates on air pressure without the need for electricity, addressing the needs of most COVID-19 patients. Its production can be quickly scaled to help meet growing demand. This is different from a Ford proposal with 3M that uses existing off-the-shelf car parts.
Ford expects to produce 1,500 by the end of April, 12,000 by the end of May and 50,000 by July 4; helping the U.S. government meet its goal of producing 100,000 ventilators in 100 days.
These ventilators are destined for a deployment in the U.S.; there are currently no plans to export it to other countries.
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