- Two customers aim to deliver millions of medical gowns equipped with Dow SILASTIC™ Liquid Silicone Rubber
- Hydrophobic nature of SILASTIC™ Liquid Silicone Rubber provides fluid barrier and supports reusability
MIDLAND, Mich. – In response to the current COVID-19 pandemic, two customers of Dow (NYSE: DOW) in airbag manufacturing have repurposed their airbag weaving and coating operations to produce medical gown fabric coated with Dow SILASTIC™ liquid silicone rubber (LSR). When coated on fabric, the hydrophobic nature of LSR offers an added level of protection as a fluid barrier while supporting added reusability.
Thanks to the work of Dow manufacturing teams in Midland, MI, Elizabethtown, KY, and Fukui, Japan, Dow LSR coatings can now not only help save lives on the road in airbag systems but help protect doctors and nurses caring for people affected by COVID-19. The two customers aim to deliver millions of medical gowns to healthcare professionals in 2020. In partnership with governments as well as major automotive manufacturers, these customers are able to weave and coat fabric at rates exceeding 150,000 gowns per week.
“This shift in production demonstrates the extraordinary flexibility and commitment on the part of our and our customers’ manufacturing teams to meet the critical needs of frontline healthcare workers,” said Gifford Shearer, Senior Market Manager of Dow Consumer Solutions. “It’s exciting to see how versatile materials like SILASTIC™ LSR are being used in different applications, from serving one essential need to another.”
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation and leading business positions to achieve profitable growth. The Company’s ambition is to become the most innovative, customer centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company. Dow’s portfolio of plastics, industrial intermediates, coatings and silicones businesses delivers a broad range of differentiated science-based products and solutions for its customers in high-growth market segments, such as packaging, infrastructure and consumer care. Dow operates 109 manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employs approximately 36,500 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $43 billion in 2019. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information, please visit www.dow.com or follow @DowNewsroom on Twitter.