Around 3,000 face masks will shortly be ready for frontline health workers helping coronavirus patients.

Printing firm Words and Spaces is providing a vital cog in work to get shields ready.

The firm, based at White Hoe Industrial Estate, Douglas has clinched a ’ring-fenced’ order for enough acetate to produce 3,000 PPE items (personal protective equipment).

Managing director Mark Green said a mechanical dye cutter his team uses at work for printing purposes will play a crucial role in the production of the masks.

Members of the 10-strong Words and Spaces team will be taking turns to cut the acetate into shape.

The company stepped in following a report in our sister paper the Courier about how an army of residents and companies joined forces using a range of 3D printers and laser cutters in a ’crowdshield’ initiative.

Mr Green said: ’We cut some templates over the weekend with some sheets of acetate we had in stock.’

He got the company involved after realising his dye cutter could perform the vital job of cutting out the visor shape from acetate, that then clips on to the frames made by the people with their 3D printers.

He liaised with Will Faulds from the Apple Orphanage who has been helping to organise the crowdshield initiative.

Mr Green said he was delighted to get involved in playing a part in the process and he is doing the cutting for free.

’I think the community spirit is nice in the island and that people are making the effort in these dark times,’ he said.

’I’ve got the guys there to do it and we are pleased to get involved in the process.’

’We should knock out 3,000 face shields. It takes about 30 to 40 seconds per shield so that’s quite quick.

’We are all geared up to produce them en masse as soon as the material arrives, which I managed to source from a supplier in Scotland on Monday morning.

’It is on its way and it will be all systems go when it arrives hopefully on Thursday.’