Medical Design Briefs - February 2021 - 5

Before the pandemic, a major share of
nonwoven materials and PPE were produced in Asian countries, particularly
China. However, the global spread of
COVID-19 has driven many countries -
and many of their businesses - to create
or expand regional production of nonwoven PPE to meet local demand, especially for the surgical-grade and N95 face
masks needed by medical professionals
as well as the general public to stem the
spread of the virus. This market response
- and the incremental PPE production
offered by both existing and new-to-themarket producers - has played an
important role in global pandemic
response efforts.
Because Emerson's Branson™ ultrasonic welding technology is widely used
in nonwoven PPE production, Emerson
personnel responded to the pandemic
by helping existing nonwoven product
manufacturers rapidly expand local PPE
production, while collaborating with
new-to-the-market players to create and
implement innovative PPE production
solutions. Behind the scenes, Emerson's
Branson ultrasonic welding business,
part of Emerson Automation Solutions,
ramped up production of plastic welding equipment, including standardized
products and assemblies, to ensure continuous supply and the shortest possible
delivery times. This incremental production enabled Emerson to supply hundreds of additional Branson welding
units - together with the local expertise, application-specific tooling, and

Ultrasonic Welder

Actuator/Stand

Converter

Power Supply

Ultrasonic
Stack

Booster

Horn

Components of the weld stack (converter, booster, sonotrode) are mounted on a movable actuating
arm that gently and continuously compresses the nonwoven layers onto the rotating anvil, where the
sonotrode delivers the ultrasonic energy that permanently welds them together. (Credit: Emerson)

technical support - needed to meet
new production challenges and customer demands in every corner of the
world.
Fast-Track Response Boosts
Australia's PPE Output
In March 2020, as Australia's Department of Defence (ADF) faced the implications of the spreading pandemic, it
sought out domestic suppliers to produce the estimated 58 million Level 3
surgical masks Australia would need by
November 2020. The ADF offered the

production contract to Melbournebased MedCon, Australia's only domestic supplier. However, due to the influx
of low-cost masks from Asia, MedCon's
annual mask production had sunk to
just 2 million and just one of its aging
mask-making machines remained in
production.
To meet the 29-fold increase in mask
production, MedCon urgently needed
to modernize three old machines and
build five new ones. For help, MedCon
and the ADF turned to Australia's premier machine builder, Foodmach, ask-

Medical mask production utilizes continuous ultrasonic welds for seams on the width and length of the mask, while the tie straps or elastic ear loops
are bonded with plunge or " spot " welds. (Credit: Emerson)

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Medical Design Briefs - February 2021

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