Scientists and healthcare professionals around the world have underlined the importance of face coverings to reduce transmission of the coronavirus. While necessary for public safety, facemasks present huge challenges for the hard of hearing.
Scientists and healthcare professionals around the world have underlined the importance of face coverings to reduce transmission of the coronavirus. While necessary for public safety, facemasks present huge challenges for the hard of hearing. Face masks with clear windows allow better visibility of facial expressions and lip movements, but at the start of the pandemic there were few manufacturers or suppliers.
Edinburgh social enterprise Breathe Easy had products that could protect users within a social environment but were not certified for medical use. At a time when only a handful of labs in Europe were able to certify the product, there was a long queue for an appointment and applicants needed to present a comprehensive portfolio to secure product approval. The NMIS-AFRC applied their expertise to help the company build a portfolio, documenting the design process and outlining the specifications of the product.
Demand has been incredible, with the NMIS-AFRC supporting Breathe Easy with growing its staff and increasing its production facility by 400%. With the expertise of NMIS-AFRC engineers, the social enterprise has now concluded all certification testing and self-certification against the relevant standard is now being sought for the BE CLEAR transparent face mask. Breathe Easy has received an initial order for 10,000 masks from NHS Scotland to be used in further live trials and discussions around an additional 500,000 are ongoing along with conversations with other NHS trusts across the UK and Ireland.
"*" indicates required fields
CASE STUDY
Helping an SME halve lead times and boost sales
The MTC created and supported Raybloc through a development journey to achieve the goals of the business that began with coaching and mentoring the workforce and helping the business to understand the priorities, issues, culture and opportunities of the current-state.
3 February 2022
CASE STUDY
Keeping a watchmakers’ machine tool ticking over
The AMRC’s support means that Loomes & Co now have an improved machining process; knowledge of basic machining practices; skills development including design software; redesigned fixtures; and sample part production. Sometimes it’s the simplest of interventions that give firms the freedom to innovate.
3 February 2022
CASE STUDY
Less than five weeks to become the UK’s largest supplier of critical PPE
The Black Country-based Ramfoam secured a contract to supply the UK Government with 3.5 million face visors per week to help protect workers across the public sector. To achieve this, they had to scale their output by 300 times in a matter of weeks.
2 February 2022