Two Austrian businesses, toolmaker Haidlmair and plastics machinery manufacturer Engel are working to supply the necessary equipment for face mask production at an unprecedented pace.
Development partners for many years, the companies operate as a ‘well-coordinated team, said Engel CSO Christoph Steger. "And our customers are now benefitting from this, especially in these particularly challenging times."
Haidlmair developed a new tool for the production of reusable masks, which is now being used by plastics processing companies worldwide.
The two-piece reusable TPE masks are designed for use in daily life or non-medical work situations where masks are required. In countries that have exempted face masks from medical device legislation due to the Covid-19 pandemic, these masks can be produced and marketed by companies from a wide range of industries. The masks can be cleaned and disinfected and different filter materials can be inserted.
Engel has customised three of its injection moulding machine types specifically for Haidlmair's mould solution.
The single-cavity version of the mould can run on an Engel victory 330/80, the two-cavity version on an Engel e-victory 740/160 and the four-cavity mould on an ENGEL duo 1560/350 Engel’s decentralised production network enables the lead times to be kept to an absolute minimum. The company has given the highest priority to producing the machines ordered for Haidlmair's face mask moulds at its production plants around the world.