We have recently looked at the response offered by some fashion companies to the COVID-19 pandemic and at the various masks that are being produced in different countries. Shortages of a variety of protective materials including gloves are definitely worrying: Malaysia-based Top Glove Corp Bhd (usually producing most of the gloves distributed all over the world) announced for example that it needs more employees as orders have doubled and the company isn't able to meet the increased demand.
Shortages have prompted many companies to gradually switch their production onto masks and medical overalls to fight the Coronavirus pandemic, the latest one being Carhartt. The brand that usually manufactures products geared for the construction industry that are also favoured by streetstyle fans, announced it will produce 2.5 million masks and 50,000 medical gowns for ths US market from April 6 involving 5,500 employees around the world.
We have seen in a previous post how some companies have been experimenting with masks in technical textiles or made employing innovative techniques. Among them there is also Ministry of Supply (a name inspired by the eponymous department of the UK Government established in 1939 to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to the British armed forces at the frontlines during World War II).
The Boston-based company developed a sort of alternative mask that respects the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) COVID-19 Face Mask Public Health Guidelines and that could provide healthcare professionals protection when N95 respirators and surgical masks are no longer available.
Shima Seiki developed an open-source 3D-Knit program for masks that Ministry of Supply modified with the help of a team of advisors including doctors, nurses, engineers and factories and with the company's long-time partner Skylar Tibbits at MIT Self-Assembly Lab. The result was the Maskº, a viscose and PBT Polyester washable and reusable protective device made using 3D Print-Knit technology, an agile manufacturing process for rapid prototyping. A single mask can indeed be knitted in under 9 minutes. This process also allows 3D shaping to create structures for the mouth and nose and therefore guarantees a more comfortable fit.
On the company's site it is highlighted how the mask is made with different techniques - such as computerized knitting and die-cutting - and has a pocket for a replaceable High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) equivalent filter element.
The masks are produced in Nimbly in California, but they are exclusively made to support healthcare professionals: ordinary people can make a donation through the Ministry of Supply site that will go towards producing and procuring face masks, N95 equivalent respirators, surgical masks, and the company's own Masksº for the medical community. As an alternative, consumers can buy Ministry of Supply's clothes and the company will donate 20% of the sales towards the production and distribution of face masks.
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