Coronavirus
Technology Solutions
Georgia Tech Strives for More Comfortable Mask
HanesBrands Supplying Surgical Masks with Bi
Component Spun Bond Filter Media
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The modular mask combines a stretchable knitted
Spandex/Lyocell blend with a barrier filtration
material. The prototypes made so far for testing
employ hook and eye fasteners—similar to the
gold-standard N95 respirators—and have a pocket
to place an optional filter for further
protection. The prototypes haven’t shrunk or
lost their shape after 20 washings.
The masks utilize a heated copper mesh. During
respiration air flows continuously across the
mesh and viral particles in the area are halted
and switched off by the mesh and the high
temperatures. The researchers created a
reverse-flow reactor to accomplish this. As the
wearer breathes in and out, airflow continually
reverses, ensuring any viruses in the mask to
traverse the mesh many times to raise
deactivation likelihood. The copper mesh is
wrapped in neoprene, an insulation material that
stops the outside of the mask from becoming too
hot to wear.
HanesBrands announced
that a proprietary surgical face mask developed
in conjunction with North Carolina State
University, the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill and UNC Health has been authorized
by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use
by health care professionals as personal
protective equipment.
The use of unique spunbond fabric developed by
the Nonwovens Institute, the world’s first
accredited academic program for the field of
engineered fabrics, eliminates the need for a
third filtration layer for cost efficiency and
filtering effectiveness. The spunbond fabric is
composed of two different polymer materials to
make a single fiber that has significant
strength and bulk that is as effective in
filtration as current materials on the market.
The company is selling the surgical masks to
health care organizations for use by
professionals in health care settings.
Separately, the company is selling all-cotton
and polyester blend face masks for consumers
under its Hanes and Champion brands that are
available online, in leading retail stores and
in company outlet stores.
Mogul is a leading manufacturer of meltblown
nonwovens based in Gaziantep, Turkey. Mogul will
add two new meltblown lines to its operations.
The lines, which will both be 160 cm wide and
capable of making fabrics in the 15-100 gsm
range, will come on stream six months apart with
one starting production in January 2021 and the
other in June 2021. Both lines will make
electrostatic charged media capable of making
the N95 and higher efficiency masks as well as
high efficiency filtration applications and
other industrial applications.
Mogul has been involved in meltblown nonwovens
since 2000 and currently has four lines in
operation.
With the global pandemic not showing any signs
of abating, medical protective supplies such as
masks and protective clothing are still in high
demand around the world. Recently, protective
masks by Daddybaby Co., Ltd. were certified by
the British Standards Institution (BSI) and also
passed the European Union's CE certification
test. This certification will permit the company
to break new grounds as its products are now in
compliance with EU standards.
BSI was established in 1901. In its 100 years of
existence, BSI has become a world-renowned
service organization that develops business
standards. During the pandemic, BSI offered a
CE-Dedicated FastTrack Review Service that
allowed Chinese mask manufacturers to expedite
the export procedure to support the fight
against COVID-19 in Europe while ensuring the
products conform to the EU Commission's
recommendations (EU) 2020/403 for PPE. As the
global pandemic continues to spread, companies
providing epidemic prevention supplies around
the globe are expanding their production
capacity to meet the growing demand. As the
backbone of the global fight against COVID-19,
Chinese companies have been providing strong
support for the fight with important supplies.
At the beginning of the outbreak, Daddybaby in
its capacity as an outstanding private
enterprise in China, immediately assessed the
feasibility of switching to the production of
PPE. The company officially launched the
production of masks the next day, rapidly
transforming itself from a manufacturer of baby
and adult diapers to one of the earliest quality
mask suppliers certified by the Guangzhou
Guangjian Textile Garment And Accessories
Testing And Research Institute (GTTC). Daddybaby
has also independently developed and modified
its six mask production lines, increasing its
production efficiency to 700 to 1100 mask pieces
per minute – 10 times higher than the output of
ordinary mask production lines.
The impressive production capacity of Daddybaby
can be attributed to its 180,000 m2 4.0 smart
factory, which was built and equipped with
world-class automated production lines to the
tune of 500 million yuan. The company has
created an industrial concentration zone that
produces a variety of products including baby
diapers, adult diapers and sanitary napkins,
which are exported to Japan, South Korea and
other countries. Its annual output stands at 4
billion yuan with 3,000 to 5,000 jobs created.
In 2015, Daddybaby became the first publicly
listed company in China's diaper industry.
Daddybaby has continued to donate medical
supplies to governments, universities and
countries in need as part of the global fight
against COVID-19.
In addition, Wu Zunyou, the chief expert in
epidemiology at the Chinese Center for Disease
Control and Prevention said the pandemic is
unlikely to be controlled in the coming months.
Wearing a mask will be the new norm for ordinary
people under normalized COVID-19 prevention and
control. As the pandemic continues to take its
toll and many countries tighten their prevention
and control measures again, protective masks
will remain an indispensable part of the global
fight against COVID-19. Daddybaby will continue
to provide high-quality masks to needy regions
while meeting the domestic standards as well as
the product standards of the importing countries
or regions, hoping to support the prevention and
control of the global pandemic.
Established in 2016,
Purelogic Labs India is an initiative to
increase awareness about air pollution in India.
As consciousness about poor air in the society
grows people will want to take some action to
protect themselves. Based on this premise,
Purelogic Labs established Prana Air for
providing the best clean air solution in India.
Prana Air’s mission is to provide high quality,
yet affordable, anti-pollution solutions,
protecting people from the life-threatening
effects of the polluted air.
Prana Air, an e-commerce platform is launched by
Purelogic Labs India to ensure the best of the
air quality for both indoors and outdoors. They
understand the constant fight against the rising
concern of the air pollution. After a series of
testing their prototypes and satisfactory
customer validation, they offer an effective air
purifier and pollution mask that improves the
quality of the air you breathe. Located in New Delhi, India, Prana Air’s manufacturing unit is based in Shenzhen, China and is importing, specialized air purifiers and pollution face masks.
Motion Mask features according to Prana Air
·
Specialized motion masks are the very first step
in leading you towards a fresh, purified air
intake.
·
These masks are engineered with special
attention to details such as the quality of
toxic air in your city and the various issues
that you might face when breathing in.
·
Motion Masks are crafted in a way that provides
maximum protection from the deadly haze and air
pollutants.
·
These masks have a motor which helps in creating
the right pressure to keep your airways open so
you can comfortably breathe in and out.
·
The pollution mask comes with a medical silicon
grade for close facial fit and maximized
comfort.
·
When you come in contact or inhale dust
particles, it causes an allergic reaction. The
filters in the anti-pollution motion mask stop
the small dust particles ranging from PM1 to PM
2.5.
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With the help of a pre-filter which stops the
big particles of the dust.
·
These motion masks also feature 2 layers of
activated carbon eliminating toxic gas and 2
layers of HEPA filter stopping dust particles up
to PM1.
·
The motion air masks have a micro ventilator
that open and closes when you inhale and exhale
giving you clean air to breathe.
·
These micro ventilators attached to the motion
mask also enhances the protection in the rapid
extraction of heat and moisture. With this
combination, you can experience enhanced breath
ability and cooler airflow while wearing the
mask for long period.
The price is equivalent to $44
John Alexander is a researcher and writer and
prepared this analysis.
“I recently got some Respokare N95 respirators
from N95
Mask Co and wanted to write up my
thoughts on them. These were of interest because
they are N95 rated, and on the NIOSH approved
manufacturer list here (scroll
down to “Innonix”, who make them).
They arrived to me via UPS International Express
and took approximately five working days to
arrive. Although I can’t comment if that lead
time is typical.
Whilst their shipping
page only mentions UPS International
Express for shipping, I can confirm they all
ship out of Hong Kong.
Inside – with rubber seal around nose
Interior Layers
I cut one of them open to take a peek at the
inner layers. It’s more or less as you’d expect
– with an inner and outer layer, that sandwich a
meltblown filter. Unlike most respirators, it
then adds a (blue) layer that claims anti-viral
properties. According to the Respokare site,
the layer is made of rayon, with copper and zinc
ions.
Weight: The
respirators are very lightweight, and don’t feel
heavy on the head.
Air Tight Seal: One
concern I had initially was that the seal around
the face wouldn’t be great, especially around
the cheeks and chin. However, on that front I
was pleasantly surprised.
One issue I did run into though was that the
material gets sucked in slightly when breathing
in. Under normal breathing conditions, this is
manageable, but if for some reason you were
breathing heavily (going up a flight of stairs
for instance), then you might feel the material
pressing against your face.
Whilst it’s a good sign that air isn’t being
drawn from around the edges, it could also be
irritating. That said, you do get used to it
after a while.
You can compare this to the respirators with a
cup shaped shell, which prevents the material
from moving with the breath.
Elastic Straps
– The
elastics are strong and look like they’ll last a
long time. They fit my head well, but for
smaller heads, it’s possible they might be a bit
loose. Some respirators have adjustable straps,
but these are “one-size fits all”. Of course,
often one size does not fit all. One workaround
could be to staple a small section of the
elastic to shorten it, like below. It’s not an
irreversible change, so if it didn’t work, you
can just pick the staple out.
On the flip side, whilst I have a reasonably big
head (22.5 inch / 57cm) – it’s not the biggest.
If you had a larger head it’s possible the
straps would be too small. If that’s the case,
you’d be better off going for a respirator with
adjustable length straps.
Smell: Ideally
there would be no discernible smell coming from
the respirator, but there is. It smells like
chemicals, so is probably leftover from the
manufacturing process, or from the type of
material used. Your nose adjusts to it after a
while, and perhaps it goes with time. At the
time I’m reviewing the product I’ve only worn
the respirator out once, and so far the smell is
still there.
N95 respirators contain an electrostatic charge
between layers, which can be damaged by washing.
So I’d exercise caution if you thought to “wash
the smell out”.
Overall I’d say that this respirator looks a lot
like the blue surgical masks that have become
commonplace, therefore it doesn’t stick out too
badly. However the “fin” at the front does
project forward and is the most conspicuous
aspect.
This is just a quick review of the Respokare from N95
Mask Co, but hopefully it sheds some
light on what’s an important issue for many
(staying healthy during this pandemic).
I’ve summarized the pros and cons below.
“I recently got the Xiantao
Zhong Yi N95 Respirator from N95
Mask Co and wanted to write up my
thoughts on it.
I ordered both N95 types they stock, including
the Respokare style, which I’ve reviewed
separately here.
The Xiantao respirator was of interest because
it’s N95 rated on the NIOSH approved
manufacturer list here.
It’s also similar, on first appearance to 3M’s
popular 8210 respirator.
They arrived to me via UPS Express and took
approximately five working days to arrive.
Although I can’t comment if that lead time is
typical for everyone.
Weight: The
respirator is light weight and doesn’t feel
heavy on.
Air Tight Seal: Due
to the rigid nature of cup design, I ran into an
issue getting an air tight seal. I’ve used 2 cup
style respirators before, however they’ve had
slight differences that led them to fit better.
I’ve used a 3M valved respirator (like
this) which uses a softer material for
the cup part, and the softer material seems to
fit the contours of the face better.
Then with a GVS respirator, they tackle the
issue by using a softer material (like 3M) and
then additionally adding a felt inner.
Smell: Unlike
with the Respokare model, there’s no strong post
manufacturing smell.
Elastic Straps – The
elastics are strong and look like they’ll last a
good amount of time. They fit my head well, but
for smaller heads, it’s not impossible they
might be a bit loose. Some respirators have
adjustable straps, but these are “one-size fits
all”. Of course, often one size does
not fit all. One workaround could be
to staple a small section of the elastic to
shorten it, like below. It’s not an irreversible
change, so if it didn’t work, you can just pick
the staple out.
On the flip side, whilst I have a reasonably big
head (22.5 inch / 57cm) – it’s not the biggest.
If you had a much larger head it’s possible the
straps would be too small. If that’s the case,
you’d be better off going for a respirator with
adjustable length straps.
Prior to testing this and the Respokare unit,
I’d have assumed that this “traditional” cup
style respirator would be superior. However,
since testing and finding it harder to get a
good facial seal with this one, I’d personally
lean towards buying the Respokare model,
if it was a choice between the two.
I’ve summarized the pros and cons below.
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