SCHWERTBERG, Austria—Two Austrian businesses—tool maker 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 Christoph Steger, Engel's Chief Sales Officer. "And our customers are now benefiting from this, especially in these particularly challenging times."
Haidlmair developed a new tool for the production of reusable masks, which is 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 customized three of its injection molding machine types specifically for Haidlmair's mold solution.
The single-cavity version of the mold can run on an Engel victory 330/80, the two-cavity version on an Engel e-victory 740/160 and the four-cavity mold on an ENGEL duo 1560/350. Engel's decentralized 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 molds at its production plants around the world.