AMETEK Surface Vision, a leading provider of online surface inspection solutions, is supporting nonwoven material manufacturers as they deliver Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at unprecedented rates.
High-quality nonwoven materials are essential for PPE used by frontline workers and the general public, providing critical air permeability while protecting against airborne particles.
With nonwoven production lines running at full capacity to meet the increased demand for PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is vitally important that material quality is maintained to the highest possible standards.
A team of scientists working from Riken’s centre for computational science in Japan, recently performed a detailed study comparing different materials used in the manufacture of face masks. Powered by the Fugaku supercomputer, which performs more than 415 quadrillion calculations per second, the study concluded that face masks made from nonwoven materials are more effective at preventing the spread of COVID-19 when compared to cotton or polyester.
While the cotton and polyester masks blocked at least 80% of droplets emitted in a cough, the nonwoven mask blocked nearly all droplets.
These results reinforce the importance of nonwoven products in the manufacture of PPE products used in the healthcare and hygiene industries.
The inspection and monitoring solutions supplied by AMETEK Surface Vision support nonwoven quality and consistency for a range of production processes, delivering defect detection that integrates into high-speed production of single-use items.
AMETEK Surface Vision’s SmartView® and SmartAdvisor® systems combine cutting-edge software and proven hardware, performing the real-time detection and classification needed to identify nonwoven material defects.
“We combine the right lighting, camera technology, and software to manage process upsets and contaminations that could compromise the integrity of critical PPE,” Breck Lewis, Senior Applications and Commercial Technology Manager at AMETEK Surface Vision, said. “Our customers, communities, and frontline personnel require the best protection, and our goal is to bring them an unparalleled defect detection system.”
More details can be found in AMETEK Surface Vision’s new brochure, “Detecting Defects in Personal Protective Equipment,” which explains the importance of high-quality nonwoven material for the PPE market and discusses the typical defects that might be encountered.
The brochure also highlights AMETEK Surface Vision’s modular, customizable solutions for PPE and explains why color-camera systems provide extra benefits for defect detection in this application.
