A Macclesfield IT company has stepped up to create protective equipment for frontline workers responding to the coronavirus outbreak and they are calling on others to do the same.

Tim Parkinson, who runs Nebular Cloud, based in Tytherington, has been using his 3D printer to produce much-needed face visors amid concern that government supplies are not reaching the frontline.

Mr Parkinson said he has received orders for hundreds of the visors from a range of local organisations, including care homes and healthcare providers.

He told Nub News: "We need other people to join us. We have one printer, which takes about an hour to print each visor. There also has to be someone physically there to change the bed of the printer. It's not like a normal printer where you can hit print and have 400; it needs to be constantly changed."

Mr Parkinson said the maximum they are able to print is 24 a day, "which is nowhere near enough to meet what we've had requests for."

He has launched an appeal to get others in the area with a suitable 3D printer to join his company in the effort. The printers need to be able to use PLA filament materials with a bed of 20cm by 16cm.

"If we had six printers, it means we could print six an hour, rather than the current one an hour, which is going to greatly improve the number we can get out to people," Mr Parkinson said.

A Go Fund Me page has been set up to allow them to pay for the materials needed and give the visors out for free to the NHS and other organisations in need of them.

The company would also provide the materials needed to produce the visors to whoever takes up the cause with them and arrange for the visors to be collected and distributed.

As well as maintaining his own IT company, Mr Parkinson has been trying to fulfill these orders, describing himself as "knackered" from not having a day off for three weeks.

Asked how he got the idea to help frontline workers, Mr Parkinson said: "My partner makes model railways, so we actually got a 3D printer a few years ago to design and make items for that.

"It kind of spiraled from there; we got a bit more advanced, purchased better printers and with us being an IT company it kind of went hand-in-hand and we began printing spare parts for computers and keyboards."

He said that he saw a post in a tech-based Facebook group asking about the potential for using 3D printing to create visors and they took it from there.

"It's great that we can help. We can help save peoples lives at the minute. For an IT company, it's unheard of; it's actually really exciting to be able to say we're actually making a difference," Mr Parkinson added.

If have the equipment to produce these visors and are in a position to help, please call Tim Parkinson on 01625837990.

If you want to donate, please visit the Go Fund me Page.