Improved respirator mask.

Health workers are trained to use respirators to protect them from pathogens.  It is generally not considered that the public can be protected in the same way.  This is primarily because the mass-produced masks are generally a one size fits all. Without proper training a wearer will not achieve the seal required to truly protect them.  It is also believed that pathogens caught on the surface of the mask filter endanger a wearer removing the respirator. It is also understood that the filter material must be of a high quality to remove pathogens.

By building a mask that fits a face using the precise surface contours of that face a proper seal can be provided.  Into the mask is fitted effective filters including pleated paper that will remove pathogens deposited deep inside the pleating not the surface. 

Social distancing is an effective way of slowing the spread of a virus.  When applied to the entire population the economic activity, needed to sustain societies, dramatically reduces. 

Sections of the general public have immune responses that effectively fight off many viruses while other sections are much more at risk of becoming very ill, requiring hospitalization, and dying from a viral disease.  If these people are effectively protected, the bulk of the population can afford to catch, recover, and become immune.

Washing hands and wearing an effective mask can reduce the risks.

It is well known that when a person’s immune system is compromised, such as a transplant patient, that the wearing of an expensive, bulky, but highly effective respirator is recommended and often demanded. 

These respirators rely on a large amount of flexible, relatively thick material to seal against a persons face.  They require relatively high forces to hold them against the face making them uncomfortable to wear and quite frightening in appearance in any social setting.

A much lighter respirator matching the face requiring little force to seal, can be used by the most vulnerable during times of needed social exposure  

A number of technologies exist that can capture the surface contours of a face, including the use a small number of 2D photographs.  Once the contours of the face are captured, a conventional 3D drafting software can graft these contours into a frame that includes space for mass produced replaceable filters. 

3D printing can then print these frames which then become part of an individuals PPE and can stay with them for years.

The preferred filter is made of pleated paper that includes a patented method of dimpling that allows unimpeded air flow into the pleats despite the fact that the pleats are only 0.1mm apart.  This allows a filter area of 1 sq.m. to be accommodated in a cartridge no larger than 20mm x 60mm x 100mm. 

Because the paper has significant structural strength when inserted in the cartridge the pleated ends and sides of the filter seal very effectively against it.  Only the pleated filter is needed without any secondary support or sealing structure. 

The paper can be removed from the cartridge without touching it and it biodegrades after disposal.  The mask frame and filter cartridge can be cleaned with soap and water.  

The proposed respirator can be used by three main sectors, health care, pollution protection, and workplace protection.

The current Covid 19 epidemic is causing focus on the health care side but the need for these well-fitting masks will always exist.

In general the people who will benefit from its use are as follows.

• Health-care workers
• Most vulnerable to infection
• Most exposed to infection such as taxi drivers, policemen etc.
• Those exposed to severe pollution in particular those exercising or working in polluted air.
• Health and safety officers responsible for workers health and the workers themselves

The environment itself will benefit from the biodegradable nature of the filter paper.

The individual wearers will benefit from the comfort and attractive visual appearance provided by a light weight elegent solution.

The wearer will benefit from the cost savings afforded by the low cost paper filter.

The problem of ensuring a good fit for a respirator mask is overcome by giving individuals an individual solution.  

A large informal infrastructure of 3D printers 3D scanners and camera phones exists in almost every country in the world.  This infrastructure can be mobilized to make frames and collect most of the profit from this enterprise.  The paper filters can be manufactured using readily available machinery under license almost anywhere in the world.  

The manufacturing volume can rise and fall dependent on demand, while the businesses that support it remain flexible enough to be permanently sustainable.  

The use of 3D imaging and 3D printing is not new, but it has not been applied to wearable products and in particular respirators with disposable filters.

The use of paper as a HEPA filter is not new but its use combined with an innovative pleating and dimpling process is.

The exploitation of the structural strength and stiffness of paper in the axial direction ensuring that no additional mechanical support for the filters is required, is very new.  It is this feature that ensures a very low cost replacement filter and an environmentally friendly disposal route.

A provisional patent has been applied for, based on these distinctive features and it is expected that very broad claims will be accepted in the future.

The competing technologies include what are called N95 respirators made by companies such as 3M.  It is these respirators that are sold with the proviso that the wearer is trained in their use and must check the “fit” of the respirator whenever donning the mask. 

Our decentralized manufacturing strategy, enabling rapid response to demand and sustainable response to a reduction of demand, places us in a unique position.  The 3M manufacturing strategy is capital intensive and slow to respond to rises and falls in demand.  The use of non-biodegradable material in an 3M N95 mask will further pressure plastic pollution.  The ability of a pleated filter to collect pathogens deep within the filter structure automatically protects careless or disabled users. 

The method that a HEPA filter employs to remove small particles from the air is not that of a sieve.  A HEPA collects small particles on the surface of the fibres within it.  It does this in three different ways often referred to as inertia, interception and diffusion.  Its ability to trap particles is in no way similar to a sieve and the spaces between the fibers are much larger than the size of the particles themselves.  In a general sense the greater the area of fibre through which the particles must pass the greater the “chance” of the particle being caught.  The attractive force that traps these particles are referred to as Van der waals forces

It is well known that cellulose fibre (paper) contains very small fibres and that for some types of paper fibre these fibres are relatively flat.  It is also well known that these fibres exhibit bactericidal properties.  Paper made from hemp fiber is said to have enhanced properties in this regard. 

Paper is a good HEPA material but in most industrial applications is not durable enough to make it a best in class solution.  It is also very affected by water.  However where the filter is expected to be replaced very often, it is an ideal solution.

The 3D imaging technology is readily available in free software such “face builder” by blender.  3D printers are now commonplace.  Software to enable efficient use of these is needed.

There are two fundamental aspects to this technology in a technological sense.

• The ability to create an accurate 3D surface contour using existing photographic and scanning software.
• The ability of paper to act as a HEPA filter.

The 3D imaging technology is highly advanced when involving expensive laser scanning equipment. https://www.artec3d.com/3d-models/face#all . 3D imaging using only photographs is advanced with respect to proportionality, but its dimensional accuracy is not so clear.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf88UeC7LmE  Additional software tools are required to convert accurate proportionality to accurate dimensionality for export to a 3D drafting platform and avoiding the need for laser scanning. 

The ability of paper to perform the duty of a HEPA filter better than cellulose fibres is well presented in many academic papers including this one .

Removal efficiency of nanoparticles with the use of cellulose and polyester filters

J. Steffens1, S. A. Pozza, J. R. Coury2

Univ. Federal de São Carlos, Dep. Chemical Engineering, Rodovia Washington Luís, km 235.

CP: 676 – CEP: 13560-970 - São Carlos – SP – Brazil

Tel. +55(16) 3351-8264 – Fax. +55(16) 3351-8266

e-mail1: juliana@iris.ufscar.br - e-mail2: jcoury@power.ufscar.br

Human beings have always been both individuals and parts of a community network.  This network has expanded relatively slowly from the family to the tribe to the village etc. over thousands of years.  As globalization and global consciousness expands it deprives, to some extent, an individual’s ability to retain their individuality. 

Consumers express the need to be both part of the herd and also individuals by consuming products and services that help define their individuality.  Social networks such as Facebook respond to this desire allowing individuals to express their views and creativity seamlessly effectivly and quickly.  Facial recognition on the other hand can be of tremendous benefit to the community but is also seen as an attack, by authority and commerce, on a person as an individual.

Consumers will be introduced to a highly personalized product, that is driven by the contours of their face.   The process will simultaneously create a desire to own a product fashioned for them and an understanding, that the process cannot deprive them of their individuality, despite making use of it.

As the global community and the urgent needs of the earth itself coalesce it is important for people to think about helping solve global problems while retaining their identity.

This project will use feedback data from individuals to study both the effectiveness of the solution and the inhibitions associated with the commercial use of such a sensitive part of their individuality. 

Our solution is only in concept stage so we are not serving anybody as yet.    

In one year we would aim to be offering the product to over 500 million people most of which will be in developed countries.

In five years we would aim to service most of the world using internet communication and existing distribution systems such as Amazon.

In the next six months we aim to develop these capabilities

• Build software to efficiently convert six facial photographs into accurate definitions of the facial contours where the mask touches the face.
• Develop software to transfer this contour to a 3D drafting package such as Solidworks and graft onto it the filter cartridge receiving aperture so that the special contour and the mass produced filters are synchronized.
• Build a pleating and dimpling machine capable of producing over 10,000 filters per day in one shift.
• Build injection moulding dies for production of the filter boxes capable of moulding 1,000 boxes per day.
• Accurately test the effectiveness of the solution on at least six human subjects in conjunction with a credible academic establishment.
• Establish a marketing website capable of receiving and processing orders.
• Create a team in Thailand capable of processing 2D images to 3D files readable by a 3D printer at the rate of 100 per day.
• Purchase 3D printers capable of producing mask frames at the rate of 100 per day.
• Sell 5,000 Mask frames at $300 each
• Sell 100,000 filters at around $0.50 each

From this point onwards we will scale up to match demand, expanding the profiling team the printers and the filter production capability. 

Within five years we would plan to have sold ten million frames and five billion filters.

We will require significant funding during the first six months.  Most of the cash will be needed for salaries.  The team will consist of at least 50 people by the end of six months on an average salary of $4,000 per month  .  Total 1.2 million.

We do not expect any great difficulty in finding this staff in Thailand.

We expect most of the machinery to be debt funded with our cash contribution less than 0.4 million.

There will always be technical challenges typically associated with production but there is no identifiable high risk issue.

Testing is a very straight forward process and we can be certain that we will match current N95 performance which is defined in NIOSH protocols. 

Approvals will be required if selling to governments or medical enterprises but there is no restriction when selling to the public.

There will be pushback from companies like 3M as these masks are often subject to legislated rules at points of entry.

The entry price of $300 may need discounts to push demand but the filters will always look inexpensive compared to the N95 equivalents. 

Without sufficient funding in place we will be unable to start.  We will be looking at equity funding with a reasonable value placed on the patents and good will.

However, this project may be a good candidate for crowd funding.  If we could presell 10,000 masks at $300 we would have three million which would be enough to deliver those preorders within six months.

We would be looking for a partner with some experience in crowd funding to ensure its success.

We would prefer the conventional route with a equity partner carrying most of the financial burden. 

We have 5 permanent staff including 4 mechanical engineers.  We have unrelated product development JVs with the USA, China and Germany.

We have access to a very broad range of engineering and marketing specialists.

We permanently engage a Drafting enterprise in Thailand and use toolmakers and mechanical parts manufacturers in both China and Thailand. 

Although this product looks like something very different from a automotive transmission it is primarily a mechanical engineering challenge.

We use filters in the regular course of our business and understand how they work and how to make them.

The 3D scanning using lasers is often used by us for checking complex parts.  The use of 2D photographs to create a 3D scans is new and we will be learning on this.  The fall back will be laser scanning if we can not achieve the accuracy we will need. 

We are always developing new products and are continually involved with performance testing and continual improvement.  This testing is done within academic establishments and commercial enterprises.  We are proud of our ability to test very accurately and create innovative solutions as testing progresses. 

We have strong contacts in China where we expect to source most of the manufacturing hardware. 

We have access to highly skilled Thai technicians and can set up a comprehensive team very quickly. 

We use with the following academic establishments for academic research and presentation of new technology.

• University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Australia
• Tsinghua University Beijing, (TU) China.
• Bari University (BU) Italy.

We are partnering with the following organizations on development of electric vehicle powertrains

• Tsinghua Suzhou Automotive Research Institute (TSARI)  China
• Timken bearings USA
• GKN Germany.

UTS has carried out extensive testing of a Double Roller Full Toroidal Variator CVT automotive transmission.

TU is overseeing the testing being carried out by their subsidiary TSARI

BU assists with the theory behind traction drives.  We are working with Professor Carbone on the theory behind paper filters.

TSARI is carrying out testing of a traction based speed reduction transmission for application in electric vehicles.

We are cooperating with Timken on the manufacture of the rolling components for the TSARI prototypes.

We are working with GKN in Germany on the development of a 48 Volt Mild Hybrid system with unique disconnect. 

Our primary business model is based on sales of mask frames and replacement filters.  Sales will be made online requesting the photographs required for building the facial contours with online advance payment.  Three frames will be supplied in this first purchase along with a month’s supply of filters (30) .  The anticipated price will be around $300 although discounts will be offered dependent on circumstances.  Filters will cost around fifty cents.

The production cost including direct labour of the three frames and filters is estimated at less than $50. 

Agents will be appointed who can manage the data collection for customers unwilling to order on line.  These agents will gross a minimum of $100 per set of frames and carry stock of filters. 

As the business grows we will appoint others to build the frames using equipment supplied by us and collect a modest royalty.  We will most often manufacture the filters in strategic locations and ultimately earn most of our income from here. 

We expect competition to drive down the price of the frames regardless of the existence of our patents but in parallel the demand for the filters will grow. 

We will create a strong brand name for our product and license other fashion brands to use the system.  We will continue to improve our product and look for other wearables that could benefit from this approach

We need investment or borrowings to start the business.  We estimate around two million dollars in the first 12 months.  From this point on the sales are expected to create highly sustainable profits. 

The demand for these masks is expected to be in the millions and scaling up will require little capital just intensive management.

There are many other wearables that could use similar scanning strategies creating more products.

It is anticipated that certain geographic areas could be “sold” under license even before being fully proven to create early cash.

We believe that the Solve platform may help us overcome some of the challenges we have.

We need funding and or help.  The help we need would centre around building a crowd funding campaign. 

Hopefully we can create sufficient excitement within the Solve community to build an informal team who could build the crowd funding campaign and the collateral that we must make for it.

There may also be investors who see this as a viable business opportunity and are willing to back it. 

Our Business model needs fleshing out.

We are on the look out for tallent who can help manage this oportunity with creativity and insight.

It would be good to attract a high profile supporter who likes this project and can offer solid mature advice. 

This will need a very strong PR platform created in a very short space of time particularly if we go the crowd funding route. 

We have not identified anyone in particuliar.  We have some connections with 3M and it may be possible for Solve members to excite this company to invest.