Italian manufacturer of injection moulding machinery Negri Bossi has joined the efforts to combat the spread of coronavirus. Italy, which has been severely hit by the pandemic, is confronting a shortage of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers.
Two Negri Bossi employees, moulding manager Ruggero Galbusera and operations director Maurizio Seregni therefore came up with the idea of using the company’s machines to produce face masks.
The project was immediately embraced by Giancarlo Costa, president of the Volunteer Coordination Committee of Monza and Brianza, with whom the logistical aspects for distribution to the community were organized.
Negri Bossi, located in Cologno Monzese (Milan), created a mask that was both ergonomically designed and comfortable to wear made from highly flexible thermoplastic rubber. The machine manufacturer has been producing the masks since Thursday, 9 April using two of the available injection presses.
The mould was built in record time by the company’s longtime partner, Esistampi, a mouldmaker near Ancona.
At full capacity, the production capacity reaches an extraordinary quantity of 500 masks per hour. An advantage of the mask is that it can be reused thanks to the interchangeability of the filtering fabric.
Moreover, the mask can be upgraded to a higher performance level through the insertion of the exhalation valve filter, in order to cope with future certifications. The masks are transparent and therefore they do not limit the wearer’s field of view, nor do the lenses mist up for users wearing glasses. And lastly, they are easily sanitized in boiling water and soap.
This community project was able to succeed due to the willingness of the supply chain to contribute in any way possible. All raw material for the project has been donated by the Francesco Franceschetti Elastomeri company. The Ravizza Packaging company donated the bagging machine.