AVIC incorporates aviation tech in face mask machine
March 24, 2020 Category China News Round-up, Weekly
Professionals from a leading Chinese plane maker have incorporated aviation technologies into the design and manufacturing of an automated face mask machine to support the country’s fight against the novel coronavirus epidemic. The fully automated face mask machine was developed by the AVIC Manufacturing Technology Institute (AVIC MTI) within just 16 days, and is capable of churning out up to 140,000 face masks a day, or around 100 per minute. “Face masks are among the most urgently needed epidemic prevention materials. We tried our utmost and used all available resources to support the nationwide epidemic fight,” said Li Zhiqiang, President of AVIC MTI and Chief Director of the project. The first batch of machines has been delivered to customers, Li said, adding that by the end of this month, a total of 24 such machines will have been put into use and will be capable of making around 3 million face masks daily.
It was an unexpected mission for Li and his team of aviation professionals at AVIC MTI, a comprehensive research institute which specializes in aviation-oriented advanced manufacturing technologies, materials and equipment. “The first thing I did after receiving the task was to type three words into my mobile search engine: mask making machine,” Li said, admitting that he had barely known anything about face mask machines. Of course, it was a completely new field for this expert who has devoted more than three decades to the design of aero-engine titanium alloys. Now, he and his team are facing the challenge of developing a machine to make face masks using materials such as melt-blown non-woven fabric. Within four hours, however, they had completed their evaluation of the project, set up their team and investigated the supply chain.
Parent company AVIC then quickly coordinated supporting teams from the corporation’s nationwide subordinate companies which could contribute their expertise to the project. In just 16 days, AVIC MTI together with seven other AVIC companies implemented the entire process of developing the machine: design, manufacturing, assembly, debugging and trial production. “When the first face mask rolled out of the machine, we were extremely excited, just like we had witnessed a plane’s maiden flight,” Li recalled. The team’s aviation professionals used technologies and experience from their development of aviation equipment, like ultrasonic welding technology, modular design and precise temperature control, integrating them into the face mask machine. “The development team adopted multiple techniques which we apply in aerospace manufacturing. The aviation-quality design and manufacturing will ensure the stable and efficient operation of the face mask machines,” Sun Nianjun, AVIC MTI’s Deputy Chief Engineer and Chief Engineer of the face mask machine project told the Global Times.
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