TROISDORF, Germany — March 23, 2020 — The German machinery and plant manufacturer Reifenhäuser Reicofil has temporarily converted two of its test plants due to the corona pandemic: The lines installed in the nonwovens technology center, which are otherwise exclusively used for research and development as well as customer trials, have been producing meltblown material for the production of urgently needed face masks for one week. This is the company’s response to the current emergency in the supply of medical protective material.

Dr. Bernd Kunze, CEO of Reifenhäuser Reicofil, explains the decision as follows: “We have considered what contribution we can make in this crisis. This is of course mainly the fast delivery of meltblown lines to build up additional capacities. We have drastically reduced our delivery times here. But we also wanted to provide support at shorter notice. Until the currently lacking capacities are built up, we are therefore stepping in with the test plants in our pilot plant station. Not using this capacity now would be irresponsible in our view.”

Until further notice, the meltblown lines will be operated in 4-shift operation 24/7. The daily output is sufficient for up to one million face masks. Trial operations will be almost completely suspended during this period. For Michael Maas, who is responsible for the test plant, this is not a problem: “Due to the corona pandemic, the customer visits and tests that were actually planned have increasingly been cancelled, so that plant capacities and personnel capacities have been freed up anyway. Switching the plant from test to production operation therefore makes double sense”.

The meltblown material from the nonwoven technology center is already sold out for the next five weeks. As no German or European producer for further processing could be found so far, the nonwoven fabric is going to a Vietnamese manufacturer of face masks. However, Reifenhäuser continues to look for opportunities to strengthen the local supply during this crisis. The company is in close contact with associations, authorities and other companies.

Kunze explains that material for other medical protective clothing could also be produced at short notice: “We assume that protective suits, hoods, etc. will also become scarce. We are happy to offer our help here as well. One of our pilot lines can produce the corresponding material, an SMS nonwoven, in the highest quality at short notice. In the medium term, however, we should also expand the real production capacities in Germany or Europe with new plants here as well”.

If you are a German or European company looking for meltblown material for the production of face masks or SMS nonwovens for other medical protective clothing, please contact Reifenhäuser Reicofil: schutzvlies@reifenhauser.com

Posted March 24, 2020

Source: Reifenhauser Reicofil

ST. PAUL, Minn. — March 24, 2020 — 3M and Ford Motor Company are partnering to increase the production of 3M’s powered air purifying respirators, or PAPRs.

3M and Ford are collaborating on specific ways the companies can rapidly combine complementary capabilities and resources to help meet a surge in demand for personal protective equipment due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

3M’s powered air purifying respirators use a waist-mounted, battery-powered blower that sends filtered air into a hood that helps provide respiratory protection for workers, including those in healthcare. 3M’s PAPR systems can offer a more comfortable user experience for wearers who need respiratory protection for an extended period of time.

“We’re exploring all available opportunities to further expand 3M’s capacity and get healthcare supplies as quickly as possible to where they’re needed most — which includes partnering with other great companies like Ford,” said Mike Roman, 3M chairman of the board and CEO. “It’s crucial that we mobilize all resources to protect lives and defeat this disease, and I’m incredibly grateful to Ford and their employees for this partnership.”

“3M is providing vital personal protective equipment for medical workers and we’ve empowered our engineers and designers to move as quickly as possible to help 3M grow PAPR production using common parts to speed this up. We are also volunteering our facilities for additional production,” said Jim Hackett, Ford’s president and CEO.

Overall, 3M has doubled its global output of N95 respirators to a rate of more than 1.1 billion per year, or nearly 100 million per month. In the United States 3M is producing 35 million respirators per month; of these, more than 90 percent are now designated for healthcare workers, with the remaining deployed to other industries also critical in this pandemic, including energy, food and pharmaceutical companies.

Posted March 24, 2020

Source: 3M