UK team provides custom fit for FFP3 masks
Industry and academia are working on reusable, medical grade FFP3 facemasks that are custom fitted from a scan of the user’s face.
MyMaskFit is working on the FFP3 mask - the standard recommended in healthcare settings - with experts from Birmingham University and King’s College London following the receipt of funding from Innovate UK.
The masks, which filter 99 per cent of aerosols, will be the first fully custom-fitted, reusable, filtering face piece (FFP) masks made to this standard in the UK.
MORE ON THE ENGINEERING RESPONSE TO COVID-19 HERE
Mask fit is critically important in healthcare settings, where an adequate seal is required between the mask and the face. Despite this requirement variations in mask design, and the inevitable difference in the shape of human faces, mean that this fit can be difficult to achieve. When healthcare staff find a mask that fits, it may not be available at the next round of supply.
Scientists from Birmingham University and King’s College London recognised these issues at the outset of the UK lockdown, and started a collaboration that brought together expertise in facial imaging, skin interfacing devices and 3D printing.
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