Small Injection Moldings for Protection against Corona
Implementing a Face Mask Concept in Record Time
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Made in Germany: The disposable mask with drop-repellent alternating fleece (© OKE)
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The 16-fold hot runner system is used in the production of the retaining clips (© Synventive)
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The replaceable protective fleece is clamped into the injection-molded retaining clips (© OKE)
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Fleece and clips are coordinated (© OKE)
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The masks are also suitable for outdoor use ... (© OKE)
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... as for workstations in closed rooms (© OKE)
With the Corona pandemic sweeping the world, considerable energies are being freed up and focused on developing and manufacturing urgently required medical equipment. Working under extreme time pressure, the OKE Group GmbH, based in Hörstel, Germany, has developed a concept for a full-face mask that can be quickly implemented and, according to the manufacturer, offers reliable basic protection.
The full-face mask consists of three components: an exchangeable protective membrane, two reusable retaining clips and the permanent rubber straps, which the wearer uses to fasten the mask securely over his face.
Completion in Record Time
The technical manufacturing components for this mask concept were developed and made ready for production within an extremely short time. The injection molds for manufacturing the retaining clips were designed and manufactured by a subsidiary of the OKE Group, Alhorn GmbH & Co. KG, Lübbecke, Germany, which besides mold making, also maintains injection molding production capacity in house. The required hot-runner system was delivered by Synventive Molding Solutions GmbH “in record time,” as the company put it.
André Stockmann, managing director at Alhorn, explains: “To ensure our manufacturing operation was reliable from the start, we put our trust in our longstanding partner Synventive for the key component of the injection molding process - hot-runner technology. From our mold concept, Synventive was able to provide complete 3D hotrunner design data within only one day, including the hot side, so that we were able to proceed to the final production of the molds without delay.”
He says that communication between the development departments and Synventive’s engineering took place practically in real time, in fact so smoothly that the tight time schedule could be met at every phase. As required, Synventive not only developed the appropriate 16-cavity hot-runner system for the small medical components, but also implemented it in a hot side for OKE in a user-friendly way.
Production already Started
The OKE Group started manufacturing the full-face mask in the first half of April. To supply the different target groups with these masks, OKE performs quality control and finishing directly in house. Anyone interested in purchasing the masks can contact the company directly at oke-shop.de.
Synventive Molding Solutions
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