tft display as face mask factory

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Sharp"s high-end clean rooms in Japan will turn out 150,000 masks a day within weeks, Japanese media report, as domestic supplies have been exhausted.

Current UK health advice is that while masks are useful for medical staff in hospitals, "there is very little evidence of widespread benefit for members of the public".

Sharp"s production line in Mie, east of Osaka, usually makes LCD display panels for its television business - but could soon ramp up to making as many as 500,000 masks a day by switching part of its production.

Japan"s government has called for more to be made urgently, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe promising that 600 million masks will be available every month.

Foxconn - officially known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd - already announced it would make its own masks in China, where the outbreak began. It expects to produce some two million masks a day.

But the type of surgical masks being made are not proven to protect against infection. They protect against large droplets and sprays, but are loose-fitting and do not filter the air effectively.

Properly-rated respirator masks do filter out airborne particles and are much more effective. They are, however, much more expensive, need to be perfectly fitted and worn constantly, and do not protect the eyes.

ANGERS, France — The relentless whir of machines echoing across a cavernous French factory floor this week is an unexpected result of the deadly virus that has nearly paralyzed cities in China and other parts of Asia. The company, Kolmi Hopen, happens to make an item that is suddenly one of the world’s hottest commodities: the medical face mask.

The factory, in Angers, typically makes around 170 million masks a year, but in the last week orders arrived for a staggering half a billion, flooding the sales department’s inboxes at the rate of one every two minutes. Kolmi Hopen is racing to hire more workers to keep the machines running 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“We’re making masks as fast as we can,” said Guillaume Laverdure, the chief operating officer of Kolmi Hopen’s parent company, Canada-based Medicom, as forklift drivers moved boxes of freshly finished masks into trucks.

The coronavirus outbreak has set off a run on protective masks across China and in other major cities. To curb the spread of the virus, the Chinese government has ordered citizens to don masks every time they go outside. Medical professionals say once used, a mask must be replaced with a fresh one, driving an explosion in demand. Grim scenes of people lined up for hours to get a protective face covering, only to be turned away when pharmacies run out, have become familiar.

“I can’t find a single mask to buy,” Sandy Lo, 60, said in Hong Kong. “I don’t know what stores have stock any more.” She said she reuses old masks, “because what else could I do?”

Most of the world’s face masks are made in China and Taiwan. But factories there, including ones run by Medicom, have been forced to temporarily halt exports to comply with government demands to reserve them for frantic residents.

On Monday, the Chinese government, conceding that it was in urgent need of medical masks and other protective gear, said it would begin importing them from Europe, Japan and the United States to help make up for the shortfall.

It has made the Kolmi Hopen outpost in western France an unlikely hot spot. Phones at the factory have been ringing off the hook as medical supply buyers scour the globe for mask makers.

Demand is especially strong for high-filtration respiratory masks, which can be more effective against the spread of virus-laden droplets than surgical masks, Mr. Laverdure said. Another Medicom factory that makes face masks, in Augusta, Ga., is also ramping up production. Mr. Laverdure declined to discuss financial details, including the cost of the masks.

ImageChina produces about half the world’s sanitary face masks — around 20 million a day, or more than seven billion a year.Credit...Elliott Verdier for The New York Times

Scientists say there isn’t much evidence that masks actually protect healthy people. (Hand washing may be more important.) Still, as the coronavirus spreads, with thousands of confirmed cases and hundreds of deaths, experts fear that supplies of face masks and other sanitary protection items will run low in other countries — even for routine medical use. Pharmacies in the United States have begun reporting shortages.

The Communist Party cast aside restrictive “zero Covid” policy, which set off mass protests that were a rare challenge to the Communist leadership.Medicine Shortages:As Covid rips through parts of China, millions are struggling to find treatment — from the most basic cold remedies to take at home to more powerful antivirals for patients in hospitals.

A Cloudy Picture:Despite Beijing’s assurances that the situation is under control, data on infections has become more opaque amid loosened pandemic constraints.

China alone produces about half the world’s sanitary face masks — around 20 million a day, or more than seven billion a year, supplying hospitals and medical workers in numerous countries. Taiwan makes up 20 percent of the global supply.

Production had already slowed as Chinese factories wound down for the Lunar New Year holiday in early January. Some sites around Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, have yet to fully revive production and are operating at around 60 percent capacity, according to the government.

Medicom’s factory in Wuhan, which makes surgical gowns, is among those that have delayed reopening. The company’s mask-making site in Taiwan is no longer allowed to export. And at Medicom’s Shanghai factory, the government sent in monitors and is requisitioning the three million masks produced daily as they roll off the production line, Mr. Laverdure said.

Image“We’re making masks as fast as we can,” said Guillaume Laverdure, the chief operating officer of Kolmi Hopen’s parent company, Medicom.Credit...Elliott Verdier for The New York Times

Supply shortages could be made worse by the fact that parts for masks and respirators are made in a variety of countries. More than 90 percent of surgical masks sold in the United States are produced overseas, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Parts — or sometimes the final assembly — may be based not only in China and Taiwan but also in Japan, Vietnam, Mexico and Colombia.

“These countries could easily cut off our supply chain,” said Laurie Garrett, a policy expert and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who has written about the SARS, Ebola and other outbreaks.

Prestige Ameritech, a mask manufacturer in North Richland Hills, Texas, is among companies that received international orders as the coronavirus spread to 24 countries in the last few weeks, including from the governments of Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan.

“I have thousands of emails from people in Asia,” said Mike Bowen, the executive vice president. “Last week I sent over a million masks to China. That’s one thing I never predicted, that I’d be sending masks to China.”

Pardam, a company in the Czech Republic that makes nanofibers, which trap micro-particles, almost ditched a sanitary mask prototype that it had tested last year because of tepid demand. But after the coronavirus hit, Pardam sold out of its stock of 2,000 masks within two days last week, and is turning to automation to increase production, said Jiri Kus, chairman of the Czech Association of Nanotechnology Industry, speaking on behalf of Pardam.

At Medicom, officials rolled out an emergency plan this week for the Angers factory to add 30 new workers to the 100-person operation, with an eye to moving toward round-the-clock production. The company is pumping out over one million masks a day, twice the normal amount, Mr. Laverdure said.

ImagePhones at the factory have been ringing off the hook as medical supply buyers scour the globe for mask makers.Credit...Elliott Verdier for The New York Times

Inside the factory, over a dozen machines assembled masks at a rate of 80 per minute, combining synthetic fibers unfurled from giant bobbins, and stamping each with nose strips, head ties or ear loops. Five machines made surgical masks, the thin rectangular pads that cover the nose and mouth, while other machines pieced together the more rugged respiratory masks.

Four workers, including two newcomers who started training this week, inspected a batch of coveted respiratory masks and stacked them into boxes that were then moved to the warehouse for shipment to Hong Kong and other destinations.

Medicom had experience grappling with the SARS, H1N1 and Ebola virus crises. As reports of the coronavirus emerged in December, executives organized a war room at headquarters in Montreal to monitor developments and game out production plans for its Europe and North American sites and at its factories in Wuhan, Shanghai and Taiwan.

“When we then saw the shutdown of the cities in China, the government extending the Chinese New Year and then halting exports of masks,” Mr. Laverdure said, “we called our factories and said: ‘An epidemic is developing. Do what you can to secure more coverage.’”

Kolmi Hopen was able to ramp up production quickly because its raw materials suppliers are based in France and nearby European countries. Still, these companies, too, have scrambled to extend factory hours and rushed to hire more workers to keep up with the demand, Mr. Laverdure said, adding, “It creates a lot of stress on the supply chain — it’s not easy to manage.”

ImageThe factory typically makes around 170 million masks annually — a figure they are sure to quickly outpace this year with the frenzy of demand.Credit...Elliott Verdier for The New York Times

As the Chinese government moved to create mass quarantine camps this week around the epicenter of the outbreak, the company braced for a brisker pace.

Reporting was contributed by Knvul Sheikh and David Yaffe-Bellany from New York, Cao Li and Tiffany May from Hong Kong, and Hana de Goeij from Prague.

Emotion research has become a mature branch of psychology, with its own standardized measures, induction procedures, data-analysis challenges, and sub-disciplines. During the last decade, a number of books addressing major questions in the study of emotion have been published in response to a rapidly increasing demand that has been fueled by an increasing number of psychologists whose research either focus on or involve the study of emotion. Very few of these books, however, have presented an explicit discussion of the tools for conducting research, despite the facts that the study of emotion frequently requires highly specialized procedures, instruments, and coding strategies, and that the field has reached a place where a large number of excellent elicitation procedures and assessment instruments have been developed and validated. Emotion Elicitation and Assessment corrects this oversight in the literature by organizing and detailing all the major approaches and instruments for the study of emotion. It is the most complete reference for methods and resources in the field, and will serve as a pragmatic resource for emotion researchers by providing easy access to a host of scales, stimuli, coding systems, assessment tools, and innovative methodologies. This handbook will help to advance research in emotion by encouraging researchers to take greater advantage of standard and well-researched approaches, which will increase both the productivity in the field and the speed and accuracy with which research can be communicated.

The Covid-19 pandemic has raised a critical question: Why does the United States not have the capacity to manufacture many products for which there is a sudden urgent need — everything from critical care ventilators, N95 face masks, and personal protective equipment to everyday items like over-the-counter pain relievers? Of course, the United States is still a manufacturing powerhouse in many sectors, but it surprises many people that a huge number of everyday basic items have to be imported. The current pandemic-related shortages have fueled calls from political leaders of both parties for U.S. manufacturers to start producing critical supplies domestically. And long before the pandemic, President Trump was pushing U.S. companies to bring back production from overseas.

The issue is complex and defies easy solutions. The challenge lies in a combination of how modern supply networks are structured and the operational metrics applied to manufacturers. Taken together, the United States and other advanced industrial economies have evolved a highly efficient and productive product manufacturing-and-delivery system that provides them with a cornucopia of products at relatively low costs. But inherent in that system are dependencies and expectations that the pandemic has called into question.

The days are long gone when a single vertically-integrated manufacturer like Ford or General Motors could design and manufacture all or most of the subassemblies and components it needs to make a finished product. Technology is just too complicated, and it is impossible to possess all the skills that are necessary in just one place. Consequently, manufacturers have turned to specialists and subcontractors who narrowly focus on just one area — and even those specialists have to rely on many others. And just as the world has come to rely on different regions for natural resources like iron ore or lithium metal, so too has it become dependent on regions where these specialists reside.

Even something as simple as an energy-efficient desk lamp has sophisticated components like LED lights that are made in high-tech factories. Devices like smartphones, medical equipment, and precision instruments contain components whose design and manufacture require a great deal of specialization. The design and manufacture of modern microcircuits involves sophisticated tools, and the people using them need considerable training and experience to operate them successfully.

The dependence on specialists is clear if we look at a typical notebook computer. Companies like Dell and HP rely on a handful of Taiwanese original design manufacturers to do the assembly work, but those assemblers, in turn, depend on multiple subsystem manufacturers.

For example, the display is made up of a number of components. At its heart is a thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) panel, which is mated with a backlight assembly and bezel. The TFT-LCD panels are made by a handful of Asian manufacturers in large, capital-intensive factories — the most recent of these cost more than $6 billion each to build and equip. These panel makers, in turn, are dependent on others who supply essential raw materials such as optically flat glass sheets, polarizing films, flexible circuit connectors, display driver chips, and a host of other inputs. The display driver chips are made in semiconductor factories (“fabs”) spread around the world.

Other key subsystems require similarly narrow skill sets. The memory chips are made predominantly by three global specialists in their multi-billion-dollar fabs, and the hard drives by two firms with factories in Thailand, Malaysia, and China. The microprocessor is generally made by either Intel or AMD. Intel produces chips in the United States and other locations, but sends them to Asia to be packaged. AMD has them made in Taiwan.

The long-term trend towards specialization in most fields is increasing because of the very different technological skills and capabilities demanded of firms working on the leading edge. Whether you are making computers, food ingredients, or personal care products, this division of labor helps firms incorporate new technologies and do so more economically than ever before. Specialists are also able to exploit scale economies both in production and design, making it harder for firms who might wish to become self-sufficient to perform those tasks economically.

The end result is that we have many suppliers scattered around the world upon whom manufacturers depend for critical components. Electronic product companies are heavily dependent on suppliers across Asia (primarily China, South Korea, and Japan). Those relying on industrial enzymes might have to turn to Denmark. Indian pharmaceutical makers rely on Chinese suppliers of active pharmaceutical ingredients. Many manufacturers have to rely on precision toolmakers in Germany, Switzerland, or northern Italy or robot makers in Germany or Japan.

Thus, while it might seem appealing for President Trump to invoke the Defense Production Act and force automakers to pivot to manufacturing medical ventilators, it is very difficult for them to ramp up production if key components like pressure sensors or valves are made by an offshore specialist. Even something as simple as an N95 mask made in the United States by 3M uses (according to the label on the box) “globally sourced materials.”

A manufacturer not only has to source all of the components of a product, it also has to scale up production. This task is often taken for granted, but it is part of the really hard work of taking a product to market. The process includes setting up the supply chain for all of the raw materials, designing an assembly process with the appropriate tooling and fixtures, building or securing test equipment, establishing testing and quality procedures, and working through materials handling, staffing, and countless other details.

While there are many firms in the United States that know how to put products into production, their number is much lower than what it used to be. That is because the job of taking a product into manufacturing has increasingly turned into one of sourcing from offshore producers. One manufacturer that had offshored a lot of its production told me, “Operations management leadership has turned into procurement leadership.” Increasingly, the job has been to specify the product for an offshore original-design manufacturer or to transfer the work to a contract manufacturer. In an emergency, when a U.S. company suddenly needs to scale up, the skills are hard to find.

Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) is the percentage of time that a factory is truly productive. A score of 100% means that you are producing 100% good parts (no defects) as fast as possible and are never stopping production. In practice, most production lines schedule downtime for preventive maintenance or changeovers, so scores of 85% are considered good. But given their focus on OEE, managers are reluctant to install excess capacity. That means they size a factory to handle the expected demand, with some surge capacity but not a lot of excess capacity.

Capital efficiency — how much capital you have deployed in your business — is another thing that is important to shareholders and Wall Street analysts. Nobody wants to pay for idle or underutilized capacity, and in sectors where the capital expenditures for plant and equipment are extraordinarily high (think semiconductors, flat panel displays, automotive assembly, materials processing), investors applaud the outsourcing or offshoring to someone who is willing to invest or to a geography where they can receive subsidies.

Another approach taken by many product companies is subcontracting production work. They might retain a base load of work internally and turn to contract manufacturers or outsourced manufacturing service providers for variable capacity or seasonal needs. This way they can keep their own plants fully loaded. The contracted suppliers, in turn, use demand pooling across multiple clients to smooth out their own workload and try to maximize capacity utilization, which is how they can achieve lower operating costs. But product companies are increasingly expecting their contractors to operate dedicated factories just for them, taking away the demand pooling benefit and forcing those contractors to keep capacity tight. This deprives the overall ecosystem of production flexibility when there is a sudden need.

The desire to avoid capital investments also leads to risk aversion to investing in new manufacturing technologies. I worked with a company that was supplying quantum dot backlighting technology for LCD flat-panel displays. Manufacturers were insistent that any new technologies had to fit into their existing capital-intensive workflows. I also heard a leader of a U.S. Department of Energy R&D group worry about how the extensive battery-manufacturing infrastructure in China had moved so effectively down the cost curve that it made it difficult for a potentially superior new technology from several MIT spinoffs to compete let alone raise the capital for a new production facility. The problem for the United States is exacerbated by countries like China that subsidize the construction and equipping of new production facilities.

When Toyota first designed its Toyota Production System (TPS) in the decades following World War II, one influence was the company’s lack of resources to compete with well-capitalized large automakers in the United States. Its TPS lean production system was truly a revolution in manufacturing and was predicated on minimal inventory that was pulled quickly from suppliers located nearby. It has been replicated around the world in many different industrial sectors.

Efficient transport logistics have lulled major companies into building globally distributed, lean production systems. Pronouncements by industry leaders like Apple’s Tim Cook that inventory is “fundamentally evil” reflect the prevailing view that inventory along the supply chain not only risks obsolescence, it represents cash that is tied up that could be used for better purposes. So as companies have moved from a “Toyota City” model with suppliers clustered in a tight geographical area to supply chains that span the globe connected by dependable and predictable logistics links, firms have continued to squeeze inventory out of their supply chains whenever and wherever possible.

Leaders of product companies go to their plant managers or their outsource manufacturing providers every year and ask for “greater productivity,” which is another way of saying, “I want it cheaper.” Many procurement managers are measured on how much productivity they can deliver every year, and their bonuses are tied to it.

These pressures lead to a race to the bottom in production costs in which product companies have minimal incentives to maintain production locations in high-cost locations or to worry about geographic diversity in production. And that behavior is encouraged by consumers and business end users. If an N95 mask sitting on a rack at Home Depot that is made in China looks equivalent to an adjacent higher-priced one made in the United States, consumers typically opt for the less-expensive one.

But the current pandemic is not the only black swan event of the last 15 years. Arguably there have been several — including the 2008 financial crisis, the 2011 Tohoku East Japan earthquake and tsunami, the flooding in Thailand, and the U.S.–China trade war. The trade war got some firms to relocate some of their production out of China, but movement has been slow, and supplier risk is still largely undiversified.

The pandemic has been and will continue to be a major shock to global supply chains and sourcing strategies. It is as if we suddenly lowered the level of the ocean and exposed all kinds of risks and obstructions that were previously hidden from view. Managers should use the unfolding disruptions to assess their supply strategies and initiate actions that will improve their resilience in the future. Some steps to consider include:

Plan to diversify sources for critical components and materials. This might include geographic diversification, either partnering with the same supplier or using second sources where economically feasible. As an example, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has spread its most important fabs across three science parks in Taiwan. Intel uses multiple fabs across the United States, Ireland, and Israel to produce its microprocessors. Many manufacturers are wary of the expense of duplicate tooling and the challenges in balancing production workloads across multiple sites, but they may wish to reconsider as more weak links are exposed.

Reconsider capacity-planning strategies for strategic commodities like medical supplies. This will likely have to be in collaboration with national governments, which may be willing to subsidize extra capacity by making purchases for a national stockpile. Alternatively, a government might subsidize surge capacity via something like the U.S. Department of Defense’s Trusted Foundry Program or Civil Reserve Air Fleet program.

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Color TFT LCDs (Thin Film Transistor LCDs) give your product a beautiful appearance with high-resolution, full-color graphics. Our modern, automated LCD factories can create custom TFT displays for extreme temperature functionality, sunlight readability, shock and vibration durability, and more. Whether you need a stand-alone TFT LCD display or fully integrated assembly with touch and cover lens, custom FPC, or custom backlight, our experienced team can develop the right solution for your project.

To address domestic shortages of masks, many countries have put in place restrictions on exports or equivalent measures such as the compulsory purchase by governments of all available stocks. In China, there was no regulation prohibiting exports but a form of compulsory purchase, with all orders in January and February going to the government and exports resuming in March. Chinese Taipei was the first economy to ban exports of masks on 24 January 2020; many others have subsequently introduced export bans (Table 1). These export bans or compulsory purchases are generally temporary, with some already removed. Countries banning exports are not all producers or exporters of masks (see Figure 2 for the main exporters); non-producers can be motivated by a desire to prevent hoarding or to avoid the export of masks already imported to be sold at a higher price abroad.

While some EU countries producing masks have enacted export bans, an EU-wide regulation was adopted on 15 March 2020 introducing export authorisations. Exports are not banned, but the needs of EU countries have to be taken into account before authorising exports.18 A similar system has been implemented in the United States since 10 April 2020, with a temporary rule from the Federal Emergency Management Agency banning exports of masks, but providing a list of exemptions (e.g. covering pre-existing commercial relationships). Export licenses or permits for face masks have also been introduced in other countries (Table 1).

Some countries have facilitated trade in masks and other protective equipment by removing tariffs or by suspending licensing and certification requirements. The importance of keeping supply chains open was emphasised in a joint ministerial statement by Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Myanmar, New Zealand, and Singapore affirming their commitment to ensuring supply chain connectivity amidst the COVID-19 crisis. Import tariffs on face masks have been temporarily eliminated in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, the European Union, India, Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, Viet Nam, and the United Kingdom.19 It should be noted that in this list Colombia, Ecuador, Malaysia, and Ukraine have both banned exports and removed barriers on imports, which seems logical in order to maximise the availability of masks within the country, but raises the question of what happens if all countries do the same.

Export restrictions have three consequences. First, they prevent some countries with no production capacity from gaining access to masks. Second, they can backfire when countries holding masks need more or need to import other essential medical supplies (or inputs to manufacture masks). Export licenses and authorisations can discourage exports but also delay trade when the export is approved, which stands in contradiction to the emergency nature of the need – generally also one of the criteria for authorising exports. Third, export restrictions push prices up and foster illegal activities (black markets and scams).

Export restrictions can also create uncertainty that impacts firms’ investment strategies. In China, several of the main producers of masks are foreign-owned firms. Factories of 3M and Honeywell (United States) or Medicom (Canada) were mainly producing for the Chinese market, but were also unable to export masks in January and February 2020. In France, the government requisitioned masks produced by the Swedish firm Mölnlycke and destined for other EU markets. The main producer of masks in France, Kolmi-Hopen, is also an affiliate of Medicom (Canada). Manufacturers of masks generally favour production close to consumers to build robust supply chains. For example, before the COVID-19 crisis, 3M already had a strategy based on local supply in Asia. Export restrictions could discourage these foreign companies from investing, denying the recipient country the benefits from foreign firms bringing the capital and know-how to create local capacity in the production of medical supplies.

Countries are also tightening investment screening for firms identified as strategic and that may be subject to hostile takeovers. For example, EU guidance issued on 25 March encouraged Member States to make full use of FDI screening mechanisms for investment in healthcare-related industries, and also encouraged Member States that currently do not have a screening mechanism to set one up.20

There is a need to find the right balance between protecting domestic firms from opportunistic acquisition during the crisis and avoiding barriers that will jeopardize future investment in the recovery phase. Measures such as nationalisations and expropriations – direct or indirect – could also have implications for future investment.

TFT displays are full color LCDs providing bright, vivid colors with the ability to show quick animations, complex graphics, and custom fonts with different touchscreen options. Available in industry standard sizes and resolutions. These displays come as standard, premium MVA, sunlight readable, or IPS display types with a variety of interface options including HDMI, SPI and LVDS. Our line of TFT modules include a custom PCB that support HDMI interface, audio support or HMI solutions with on-board FTDI Embedded Video Engine (EVE2).

Surgical masks, once simply a strip of cloth tied around the face of a doctor or nurse, are today manufactured using non-woven fabrics made from plastics like polypropylene to filter and protect. They are also available in many different styles and grades depending on the level of protection the user requires. Looking for more information on surgical masks to meet your medical sourcing needs? We’ve created this guide outlining some basics about these masks as well as how they’re manufactured. If you"re interested in finding out more information about how respirators, gowns, and other personal protection equipment is made, you can also visit our overview of how PPE is manufactured. You can also check out our articles on top-rated cloth masks and surgical masks.

Surgical masks are designed to keep operating rooms sterile, preventing germs from the mouth and nose of a wearer from contaminating a patient during surgery. Although they have seen a rise in popularity among consumers during outbreaks such as the coronavirus, surgical masks are not designed to filter out viruses, which are smaller than germs. For more on which types of masks are safer for medical professionals dealing with illnesses such as the coronavirus, you can read our article on the top CDC-approved suppliers.

It should be noted that recent reports from Healthline and the CDC show that masks featuring valves or vents are more likely to spread infection. The masks will provide the same protection for the wearer as an unvented mask, but the valve does not block viruses from coming out, which can enable someone unaware they are infected to spread the virus to others. It"s also important to note that a face shield without a mask is equally able to spread the virus.

There are four levels of ASTM certification that surgical masks are classified in, depending on the level of protection they provide to the person wearing them:

Level 1face masks often feature ear loops and are the general standard for both surgical and procedural applications, with a fluid resistance of 80 mmHg. They’re meant for low-risk situations where there will be no fluid, spray, or aerosol.

It should be noted that surgical masks are not the same as surgical respirators. Masks are made to act as barriers to splashes or aerosols (such as the moisture from a sneeze), and they fit loosely to the face. Respirators are made to filter out airborne particles such as viruses and bacteria, and create a seal around the mouth and nose. Respirators should be used in cases when patients have viral infections or particles, vapor, or gas are present.

Surgical masks are also not the same as procedural masks. Procedural masks are used in clean environments in hospitals including intensive care and maternity units, but they are not approved for sterile environments such as the operating room.

Update May 2021: The CDC no longer recommends these guidelines for healthcare work as masks have become more readily available since the beginning of the pandemic. Healthcare organizations are to return to the standard use of masks.

As of November 2020, the CDC has revised its guidelines on the use of masks to allow hospitals and other healthcare centers to stretch resources during this time of extreme demand. Their plan follows a series of steps for increasingly urgent situations from standard to crisis operations. Some emergency measures include:

Extended use of face masks, including wearing the same mask while seeing multiple patients. It’s important to note the mask is to be disposed of if it becomes soiled, damaged, or difficult to breathe through. Additionally, the wearer cannot touch the outside of the mask. Wearers should only remove the mask once they’re away from the patient care area.

Limited reuse of face masks, where they are taken off and put back on between seeing patients. This should only be done for masks that aren’t soiled, damaged, or difficult to breathe through. Masks should be stored while folded inward to avoid contamination, and tie back masks should not be used for this. Wearers should remove them only once they’re away from the patient care area.

For extreme situations, when there are no masks left, the CDC recommends healthcare workers vulnerable to the virus be excluded from working with potentially infected patients, and others wear face shields and cloth masks.

As of February 2021, the ASTM has created a set of standards for consumer-grade masks, featuring Level I masks that will filter 20% of particles above .3 microns, and Level II masks that will filter 50% of particles above .3 microns. These, however, are specifically meant for consumers, not medical use.

Surgical face masks are made with non-woven fabric, which has better bacteria filtration and air permeability while remaining less slippery than woven cloth. The material most commonly used to make them is polypropylene, either 20 or 25 grams per square meter (gsm) in density. Masks can also be made of polystyrene, polycarbonate, polyethylene, or polyester.

20 gsm mask material is made in a spunbond process, which involves extruding the melted plastic onto a conveyor. The material is extruded in a web, in which strands bond with each other as they cool. 25 gsm fabric is made through meltblown technology, which is a similar process where plastic is extruded through a die with hundreds of small nozzles and blown by hot air to become tiny fibers, again cooling and binding on a conveyor. These fibers are less than a micron in diameter.

Surgical masks are made up of a multi-layered structure, generally by covering a layer of textile with non-woven bonded fabric on both sides. Non-wovens, which are cheaper to make and cleaner thanks to their disposable nature, are made with three or four layers. These disposable masks are often made with two filter layers effective at filtering out particles such as bacteria above 1 micron. The filtration level of a mask, however, depends on the fiber, the way it’s manufactured, the web’s structure, and the fiber’s cross-sectional shape. Masks are made on a machine line that assembles the nonwovens from bobbins, ultrasonically welds the layers together, and stamps the masks with nose strips, ear loops, and other pieces.

Bacteria filtration efficiency in vitro (BFE). This test works by shooting an aerosol with staphylococcus aureus bacteria at the mask at 28.3 liters per minute. This ensures the mask can catch the percentage of bacteria it’s supposed to.

Particle Filtration Efficiency. Also known as the latex particle challenge, this test involves spraying an aerosol of polystyrene microspheres to ensure the mask can filter the size of the particle it’s supposed to.

Breathing resistance. To ensure the mask will hold its shape and have proper ventilation while the wearer breathes, breathing resistance is tested by shooting a flow of air at it, then measuring the difference in air pressure on both sides of the mask.

Splash resistance. In splash resistance tests, surgical masks are splashed with simulated blood using forces similar to human blood pressure to ensure the liquid cannot penetrate and contaminate the wearer.

Flammability. Since several elements of an operating room can easily cause fire, surgical masks are tested for flammability by being set on fire to measure how slowly it catches and how long the material takes to burn. ASTM levels 1, 2, and 3 are all required to be Class 1 flame resistant.

It is possible for a generic manufacturer, such as a garment factory, to become a surgical mask manufacturer, but there are many challenges to overcome. It’s also not an overnight process, as products must be approved by multiple bodies and organizations. Hurdles include:

Navigating test and certification standards organizations. A company must know the web of test organizations and certification bodies as well as who can give them which services. Government agencies including the FDA, NIOSH, and OSHA set protection requirements for end users of products like masks, and then organizations such as the ISO and NFPA set performance requirements around these protection requirements. Then test method organizations such as ASTM, UL, or AATCC create standardized methods to ensure a product is safe. When a company wants to certify a product as safe, it submits its products to a certification body such as CE or UL, which then tests the product itself or uses an accredited third party testing facility. Engineers evaluate the test results against performance specifications, and if it passes, the organization puts its mark on the product to show it’s safe. All of these bodies are interrelated; employees of certification bodies and manufacturers sit on the boards of standards organizations as well as end users of the products. A new manufacturer must be able to navigate the interrelated web of organizations that handle its specific product to ensure the mask or respirator it creates is properly certified.

Navigating government processes.The FDA must approve surgical masks, which under pre-pandemic circumstances could be a long process, especially for a first-time company that hasn’t gone through the process before. However, the FDA has recently relaxed rules to allow some companies to get emergency use authorizations for surgical masks. It is also willing to work with manufacturers pivoting from other products. More information as of April 2020 can be found here.

Knowing the standards to which a product must be manufactured. Manufacturers need to know the testing that a product will go through so they can make it with consistent results and ensure it’s safe for the end user. The worst case scenario for a safety product manufacturer is a recall because it destroys their reputation. PPE customers can be difficult to attract since they tend to stick to proven products, especially when it could literally mean their lives are on the line.

Competition against large companies. Over the past decade or so, smaller companies in this industry have been acquired and consolidated into larger companies like Honeywell. Surgical masks and respirators are highly specialized products that larger companies with experience in this area can manufacture more easily. Partly from this ease, larger companies can also make them more cheaply, and therefore offer products at a lower price. Additionally, the polymers used in creating masks are often proprietary formulas.

Getting supplies. Early in the pandemic, there were mask material shortages, especially with melt-blown fabric. A single melt-blow machine can take months to make and install due to its need to consistently produce an extremely precise product. Because of this it was difficult for melt-blown fabric manufacturers to scale up, and the massive global demand for masks made from this fabric created shortages and price hikes. Unless production increases in more countries, this may happen again.

While materials for surgical masks have undergone shortages due to the ongoing pandemic, open-source patterns and instructions for masks made of more common materials have been popping up across the internet. Although these are meant for DIYers, they can also be used as a starting point for commercial patterns and production. We’ve found three mask pattern examples and provided links to sourcing categories on Thomasnet.com to help you get started.

The Olson Mask: This mask is designed to be donated to hospitals, which will add the hair ties and waxed string for a better fit to the individual healthcare worker, as well as inserting the .3 micron filter.

The Fu Face Mask: This website includes an instruction video for how to make this face mask. The pattern requires you to measure the circumference of your head.

Cloth Mask Pattern: Sew It Online’s mask includes the pattern design on the instructions. Once the user prints the instructions out, they can simply cut out the pattern and start working.

Now that we’ve outlined details on the types of surgical masks, how surgical masks are made, and challenges to companies trying to break into the field, we hope this will enable you to source more effectively. If you’re ready to start shortlisting suppliers, we invite you to check out our Supplier Discovery page, which has detailed information on over 90 suppliers of surgical masks.

The purpose of this document is to collect and present research on the way surgical masks are manufactured. While we endeavor to curate and create the most up-to-date information, please note that we cannot guarantee 100% accuracy. Please also note that Thomas does not provide, endorse, or guarantee any third-party product, service or information. Thomas is not affiliated with the vendors featured on this page and is not responsible for their products and services. We are not responsible for the practices or the content of their websites and apps.

IBASE Technology Inc. (TPEx: 8050), a global well-known manufacturer in industrial computers and embedded systems, won the 2022 Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards (APEA) announced yesterday. Mr. C. S. Lin, Founder & Chairman of IBASE, was also awarded the Master Entrepreneur Award.

IBASE Technology Inc. (TPEx: 8050), a global leader in industrial computers and embedded systems, has again won two awards at the 31st Taiwan Excellence Awards. IBASE has accumulated 24 Taiwan Excellence Award-winning products, winning the award for six consecutive years!

IBASE Technology Inc. (TPEx: 8050), a world leading manufacturer of industrial computing platforms, unveils its AMS310 embedded computer featuring high performance yet low power consumption and an operating temperature range from -10ºC to 60ºC.

IBASE Technology Inc. (TPEx: 8050), a world leading manufacturer of industrial motherboards and embedded computing solutions, is proud to announce its latest intelligent railway gateway computer supporting the new Intel® Atom® x6000E family processors (codenamed Elkhart Lake).

IBASE Technology Inc. (TPEx: 8050), a world leading manufacturer of digital signage media players, has launched a new compact fanless, outdoor signage player for three HDMI displays and designed with Intel® Atom® x6000/Celeron® processors (formerly Elkhart Lake).

IBASE Technology Inc. launches the MPPC1201PC fanless 12.1" panel PC designed for intelligent railway transportation applications. This latest rugged PC received CE/FCC certification and passed the EN50155 2017 strict shock and vibration standards for rolling stock equipment and EN45545-2 EU fire safety standard.

IBASE Technology Inc. (TPEx: 8050), a world leading manufacturer of industrial motherboards and embedded computing solutions, debuts the 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors (formerly Alder Lake) powered MBB-1000 ATX motherboard.

IBASE, a world leader in the manufacture of industrial computing products, is proud to release the MPT-8000AR railway computer system powered by Intel 10th Gen Intel® Core™ processors and certified with EN50155/EN45545 railway standard for electronic equipment and fire safety.

Taipei, Taiwan, June 22, 2022 - IBASE Technology Inc. (TPEx: 8050), a world leader and supplier of embedded computing solutions, announces its newest board, digital signage player and uCPE/SD-WAN appliance based on the latest AMD Ryzen™ Embedded R2000 processors at Embedded World 2022.

IBASE Technology Inc. (TPEx: 8050), a world leader in the manufacture of industrial and embedded computing solutions is proud to launch the IB956 high-performance single board computer in 3.5-inch form factor.

IBASE Technology Inc. unveils its CMI211-989 embedded system powered by AMD Ryzen Embedded V2000 processors based on the innovative “Zen 2” x86 core architecture using advanced 7nm manufacturing process.

IBASE Technology Inc. (TPEx: 8050), a leading provider of robust embedded computing platforms, is proud to announce its partnership with leading Artificial Intelligence (AI) chipmaker Hailo. IBASE and Hailo are launching the 11th Gen Intel® Core™ U-Series-based (formerly Tiger Lake) ASB210-953-AI edge AI computing system, targeted at smart Arti

IBASE Technology Inc., a world leader in industrial computers and embedded systems, announced today that three intelligent industrial computing solutions have been selected by Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs as winners of the 2022 Taiwan Excellence Awards.

IBASE Technology Inc. has rolled out the IB952 3.5-inch SBC that is based on AMD Ryzen™ Embedded V2000 processors built with innovative 7nm process technology and featuring up to 8 cores and 16 threads to provide the computing performance and power efficiency for today’s IoT market.

The ruggedized AGS103T boasts several advanced features such as an extended operating temperature range of -20°C to 70°C, three Gigabit Ethernet ports for fast wired connections and multi-protocol communications, and over/under/reverse voltage protection.

IBASE Technology Inc. has released the MI989 Mini-ITX motherboard with AMD Ryzen™ Embedded V2000 Series processor that offers up to eight CPU cores and 16 threads, providing unprecedented speed and power efficiency for embedded applications in retail, healthcare, industrial automation, and smart cities.

IBASE Technology Inc. launches its SI-654-N fanless digital signage player powered by Intel’s latest 11th Gen Core™ U-Series processors (formerly Tiger Lake).

IBASE Technology Inc. is pleased to launch the IBR215 2.5-inch single board computer powered by NXP’s quad-core 1.6GHz ARM Cortex®-A53 i.MX 8M Plus processor.

IBASE Technology Inc. unveils a new range of railway computing systems integrated with the Intel® Atom™ quad-core E3950 processor (formerly Apollo Lake) which offers up to 1.5x CPU and 3x graphics performance over the previous generation Atom™ E3845 CPU

IBASE Technology Inc. a leading provider of industrial motherboards and high-performance network appliances, is releasing the INA7600 network appliance based on two 3rd Gen Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors (codenamed Ice Lake).

IBASE Technology Inc. announces the IB836 3.5-inch single board computer powered by robust Intel® Atom x6000 Series (formerly Elkhart Lake) processors to meet the demands of critical real-time computing in applications spanning the retail, transport, industrial automation, and medical sectors.

IBASE Technology Inc. is pleased to announce its ISR301 ruggedized compact computing system. Built for both industrial and commercial applications including factory automation, machine vision, edge computing, POS and digital signage, the ISR301 is powered by a quad-core NXP Cortex™ A53 i.MX 8M processor in 1.3GHz frequency.

IBASE Technology Inc. has been recognized by Intel® Network Builders Winners’ Circle Awards as a Solution Partner. The Winner’s Circle program is dedicated to all Intel partners who have demonstrated business acumen and outstanding innovations in products developed with Intel technologies.

IBASE Technology Inc.has launched its next-generation computing solutions powered by “Zen 2”-based AMD Ryzen™ Embedded V2000 Series processors with outstanding power efficiency targeting various edge applications.

IBASE Technology Inc. has rolled out the MB997 ATX motherboard for 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7/i5/i3 and Xeon® processors. The Intel® C246/Q370/H310-based motherboard is designed for diverse applications, such as industrial automation, AI integrated systems, and smart retail systems.

IBASE Technology Inc. announces the launch of the ET977 low-power COM Express Compact Type 6 modules, which are based on the AMD Ryzen™ Embedded SoC to enable next-generation embedded designs.

The four models in the series bring together the powerful performance of the "Zen" CPU and "Vega" GPU architectures to deliver a new class of embedded solutions.

Designed for a wide array of applications such as medical, industrial automation and kiosks, the MI996 Mini ITX motherboard supports integrated GPU and PCI-E x16 for discrete graphics card to run simultaneous displays in four video outputs: eDP, HDMI (2.0a), Display Port and DVI-D.

IBASE Technology Inc. is pleased to announce the launch of the VINO2100, an intelligent face mask and body temperature detection system powered by Intel® OpenVINO-based iVINO AI recognition software.

IBASE Technology Inc. has been named as a 2020 winner of VDC Research’s Gold Award for IoT & Embedded Technology Vendor Satisfaction in the Boards & Modules category.

The NVIDIA Jetson TX2 pairs a dual-core Denver 2 alongside a quad-core ARM® Cortex®-A57 processor and provides 256 CUDA cores on the NVIDIA’s advanced Pascal GPU architecture with up to 1.33 TFLOPS, delivering exceptional AI performance.

IBASE Technology Inc. and National Chiayi University have joined hands in an academia-industry collaboration to build NCYU’s smart agriculture control room system by combining the agricultural development expertise of NCYU with Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT).

The AMS210 has a straightforward design with front I/O accessibility, including four USB 3.1, four USB 2.0, three DisplayPorts, and a serial port to connect to a diverse set of peripheral devices, as well as four Gigabit LAN ports to handle high bandwidth data processing requirements.

IBASE has announced the new ET876 COM Express Type 10 CPU Module (R3.0) supporting Intel’s energy-efficient Atom™ Processor E3900 series, Intel® Celeron® Processor N3350 and Intel® Pentium® Processor N4200.

Built with an ultra-wide TFT active matrix LCD screen, the system can ideally serve as signage display delivering advertising and providing passengers with the current information on arrival and departure times at targeted areas in the vicinity of airports or train stations.

The SI-324-N drives four independent displays running 4K resolution with next-generation visual clarity. Thanks to the Vega GPU architecture in the AMD Ryzen™ SoC design that provides superior graphics and multimedia processing, and performance of up to 8 compute units.

IBASE Technology Inc. has announced the release of the RM-N8MMI SMARC 2.0 CPU Module built with NXP ARM Cortex-A53 i.MX 8M Mini Quad 1.6GHz industrial-grade processors.

IBASE Technology Inc.reveals its powerful MAF800 industrial-grade AI computer series suitable for use in machine vision and factory automation facilities to automate shop floor processes and defect inspection.

IBASE Technology Inc. unveils the EC-7100 built with the high-performance NVIDIA GTX 1080 graphics card equipped with 2560 CUDA cores, 8GB GDDR5X memory and up to 9 TFLOPS capability.

IBASE Technology today revealed the implementation of Intel® Arria® 10 FPGA modules along with Intel® vPro™ Core processors and Intel® Media Accelerator Reference Software (MARS) technology in IBASE SignaturePro SP-63E multi-port video wall signage player.

IBASE announces the RM-N8M Series SMARC 2.0 Computer-on-Modules using 64-bit NXP i.MX8M application processors with ARM technologies for industrial and transportation computing solutions.

IBASE Technology Inc. is proud to announce that its SW-101-N outdoor IP68-rated waterproof digital signage player has been honored with the 2020 Taiwan Excellence Awards.

IBASE reveals the IB919 3.5-inch single board computer based on 8th Generation Intel® Core™ i7/i5/i3 and Celeron® 4000 processors (codenamed Whiskey Lake-U) built on a further refined 14nm++ manufacturing process.

IBASE Technology Inc. has launched the IB995 PICMG® 1.3 Full-Size CPU Card, a slot-card server designed for the 8th Gen and 9th Gen of Intel’s Core processors with support for up to 8 cores and CNVi architecture for wireless connectivity devices.

The compact and fanless player is designed with hardware acceleration to support 4K @60Hz resolution for each independent display and suitable for space-constraint deployment in airports, shopping malls, restaurants and other commercial establishments.

Powered by Intel’s Apollo Lake Atom™ x7/x5 series, Pentium® N4200, and Celeron® N3350 SoCs, the AGS100T/AGS102T IoT gateways enable seamless and secure data flow to the cloud in IoT-focused applications with enterprise-grade security, and easy manageability.

IBASE Technology Inc. announced the release of its CSB200-818, a slim fanless system that is fully operable under harsh conditions, with a wide-range operating temperature.

IBASE Technology has announced the new IBR210 3.5-inch single board computer featuring NXP’s dual or quad core Arm Cortex-A53 i.MX 8 processors in 1.3GHz and 1.5GHz CPU frequencies.

IBASE Technology has introduced the MI998 Mini-ITX motherboard supporting 9th/8th Gen Intel® Xeon® E / Core™ / Pentium® / Celeron® processors with a maximum 4.7GHz frequency with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology.

IBASE Technology Inc. introduces its latest COM Express Type 10 (ET875) and Type 6 (ET870) COM Express; Modules based on the Intel® Atom™ processor E3900 series, Intel® Pentium® processor N4200 and Intel® Celeron® processor N3350.

IBASE Technology Inc. (TPEx: 8050), a leader in the manufacture of industrial Panel PCs and embedded systems, welcomed the Computex delegation from Seoul Metro at the Nangang office yesterday.

IBASE Technology Inc. (TPEx: 08050) has unveiled two new AMD Ryzen™ Embedded R1000-based offerings, including the IB918 3.5-inch form factor SBC and the SI-323-N digital signage player with three HDMI.

IBASE Technology Inc. and Acer Cloud Technology have partnered to deliver digital signage solutions with Being Device Management (BDM) to address the growing need for device management in IoT integrated systems.

IBASE Technology Inc. (TPEx: 8050), a leader in the manufacture of and embedded systems and motherboards, is proud to announce the MPT-3000RP fanless embedded PC developed especially for railway applications.

IBASE Technology Inc., a leader in the manufacture of and network appliances and embedded systems, today announced the rollout of its latest FWA8708 1U rack-mountable network appliances

The MI995 low-power Mini-ITX delivers stunning graphics and media performance and supports up to three independent displays in eDP, HDMI 2.0a, DVI-D and DisplayPort outputs, which makes it ideal for gaming/entertainment, digital signage and POS applications.

IBASE Technology Inc. is proud to introduce the SI-626, a digital signage system based on 7th/6th Gen Intel® Core™ mobile processors and powered by the AMD Radeon™ E8860 graphics GPU that leverages the advanced Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture to provide outstanding ultra-high resolution multimedia playback across six HDMI display.

IBASE Technology Inc. debuts the OFP series open-frame panel PC that provides a flexible solution for seamless integration into kiosks, customized housings and wall mount.

IBASE Technology Inc. announced the IB818 3.5-inch SBC that can be powered by the Intel® Atom™ QC x7-E3950, Pentium® QC N4200 or Celeron® DC N3350 SoC (formerly Apollo Lake) processor, providing significant improvement in both CPU and graphics performance compared with previous generations.

IBASE Technology Inc. debuts its SI-61S ultra-high resolution and highly expandable video wall player developed specifically for multi-screen video wall signage environments.

IBASE Technology Inc. rolls out its new generation Intel® based AGS Series intelligent IoT gateway system aimed at industrial control and factory automation applications.

IBASE Technology Inc. has released an ARD-037-N ruggedized all-in-one bar-type panel PC with a 37-inch wide LCD with optimum resolution of 1920 x 540.

IBASE Technology Inc. (TPEx: 8050) today launched a series of new AMD Ryzen™ Embedded and EPYC™ Embedded processor-based products, including the MI988 Mini-ITX motherboard, SI-324 4x HDMI 2.0 digital signage player and FWA8800 1U rackmount network appliance.

The SI-623-N signage player is based on the 7th/6th Generation Intel® Core® processor and supports up to 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution in each display channel. Slim yet powerful, SI-623-N comes with a pair of wall-mount brackets and can comfortably fit behind multi-displays or video walls deployed in places across every market.

IBASE Technology Inc., a manufacturer of industrial motherboards and embedded systems, has introduced its new SI-102-424 fanless digital signage player based on the Embedded G-Series SoC designed for digital signage, retail or hospitality applications.

IBASE Technology Inc. (TPEx: 8050), a world-leading manufacturer of industrial motherboards and embedded systems, introduced the brand new SI-102-424 fanless digital signage player based on the Embedded G-Series SoC that is perfect for digital signage, retail or hospitality applications.

Industrial motherboard and embedded systems manufacturer iBASE Technology Inc. has won the Buyer"s Choice Best Choice Award at this year"s Computex IT trade show in Taiwan, with its SI-60E super-high 8K video wall player, the company announced.

IBASE Technology Inc. (TASDAQ: 8050), a leading manufacturer of industrial motherboards and embedded systems, has once again excelled in the iF product design award 2013 competition for its SI-38 digital signage system, after winning the 2012 Computex Taipei d&i Gold Award and Industrial Innovation Achievement Award.

iBASE Technology (USA), Inc. (TASDAQ: 8050) proudly announces that the SI-38 digital signage system and AFB100 eFlex system have both won the 2012 Computex design and innovation awards.

IBASE Technology (USA), Inc. (TASDAQ: 8050) announces the release of the eFlex Platform – a highly compact yet expandable fanless platform for embedded computing.

iBASE Technology (USA), Inc. (TASDAQ: 8050) announces the release of the “Signature Book™” SI-38 - a professional grade digital signage system packing extreme performance within ultra-compact dimensions and powered by the new AMD Embedded R-Series Platform.

IBASE Technology (USA), Inc. (TASDAQ: 8050) announces the release of the SI-58: A slim yet powerful system designed for multi-display digital signage applications. This unit provides extreme performance for multi-media applications.

iBASE Technology (TASDAQ: 8050), a world-leading manufacturer of single board computers and embedded systems is introducing the SI-18 Signature Book – an ultra-compact digital signage player powered by the AMD Embedded G-Series APU.