THE Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii), together with a local tech company, will kickstart the production of personal protective equipment (PPE), namely face shields and intubation boxes to be used by medical personnel in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a statement today, MARii CEO Datuk Madani Sahari said the PPE items will be produced using laser-cutting machines which requires minimal operational supervision, thus reducing the risk of virus transmission.
“It also allows for instant redesign and modification of products to suit specific needs, therefore saving ample time through the elimination of tooling modification that is common in injection moulding,” he said.
Madani said laser cutting is a highly viable process in situations such as the Covid-19 pandemic, where single-use products face a huge spike in demand.
He said the process allows for faster and efficient production without the need for additional tooling, and can use easily sourced materials such as acrylic and Perspex.
“The deployment of technologies to rapidly manufacture PPE is crucial in order to ensure that the PPE is readily available despite the shutdown of many manufacturers and raw material limitations.
“MARii’s technology network has opened up opportunities for quick action to be taken for the PPE supply issue, and we hope more solutions can be developed to address other issues surrounding the pandemic,” he added.
Madani also said that about 1,000 face shields and 50 intubation boxes can be produced per day. — April 8, 2020, Bernama
