Annals of the University of Oradea: Fascicle of Textiles, Leatherwork (May 2020)
STUDY ON MAKING SOME PROTECTIVE MASKS BY KNITTING PROCEDURES
Abstract
In the midst of the health crisis, we are all trapped in a story that, some time ago, we could not have imagined. Our desire is not to be the witnesses of a history, but the protagonists of a change. This is why we joined the initiative of our colleagues from S.C. Astrico Nord Est S.R.L. Piatra Neamt, and we made a protective mask prototype of 100% cotton which can meet the current needs. This is intended to be a reusable protective mask, as disinfection of the mask can be washed and dried at 700 C, without damaging its properties and shape. This mask was made on the rectilinear knitting machine SIR 123 finness 14, produced by Shima Seiki from Japan. These knitting machines use, for product design, the SDS-One graphics station or the APEX graphic station - the latest generation variant. Using the technological possibilities offered by both the machine and its graphical assistance program, we aimed to attain a production efficiency, which can be achieved by finding methods to reduce the execution time as well as to increase the comfort and quality of the products made. The authors intend to create a product that can cover the needs of ordinary citizens, but also those of the interior of the medical system by giving them these masks that can be disinfected in the hospital autoclave, without the need for such high consumption of raw material, but also once fulfilling the safety conditions of the bearer.
