- March 07, 2024
- ForTest
FORTEST, world leader in flow testing solutions, has launched T9731- EN 14683, a revolutionary instrument to monitor the appropriate airflow rate in full compliance with the EN 14683 standard for surgical mask testing.
Surgical masks are also known as medical masks are widely used across the world due to Covid-19 by health workers in hospitals during surgeries and interaction with patients, as well as by the general public who wear these as face masks to prevent contamination during this pandemic.
The primary purpose of surgical face masks is to keep infectious agents away from patients, as well as to protect users from highly contaminated fluid droplets in specific conditions. Testing the surgical masks is an essential part of ensuring that they are safe to use and contamination-free. Because, if the medical masks would not efficiently be tested then it will dangerous for both health operators and patients.
Surgical masks have been demonstrated in several studies to retain droplets ejected from the user, which seem to be responsible for a lot of virus transmission. This source control strategy shows a change in mindset from a "medical" to a "public health" strategy.
EN 14683 is an EU regional testing standard for surgical masks. EN 14683 mask is a health device that is worn in the mouth and nose to filter oxygen into the mouth, preventing dangerous gases and particles from entering and exiting the user's mouth and nose. The mask may successfully filter aerosols and other contaminants to protect the user from the pandemic Covid-19.
FORTEST has taken to help in the combat against Covid19 by producing new certification testing instrument T9731- EN 14683 for surgical/disposable masks that complies with the EN 14683 standard, making it easier and more efficient to verify all personal protective equipment (PPE).
Most manufacturers test the surgical face masks manually or by using some traditional techniques. However, these techniques could be faulty, unreliable and inaccurate or other issues make them obsolete or dangerous.
But this testing instrument T9731- EN 14683 includes two air flow meters, one is a mass-flow meter with the range of 0.0...20.0 n (l/min) in which a servo-driven valve is regulated by software, and the second is differential gauge/differential pressure measurement (which is used to measure the differential pressure of air passing through a surgical mask in Pa/cm2). Both are fully automatic and can measure airflow rate up to 20,000 cc/min with the resolution starting from 0.1 cc/min.
In contrast to what is needed by regulation, the equipment has to be capable of measuring both differential pressures (pressure loss) and relative pressure in order to conduct tests randomly at a regulated air flow rate and also at constant pressure
The T9731- EN14683 is capable of performing all processes that need regulation in a fully automated mode such as “breathability tests” (breathability/differential pressure is the critical factor for checking the comfort level of surgical mask because users will face breathing problems if the breathability is poor, and inappropriate use could result in severe effects), tool validation tests and equipment validation tests can also be performed with high accuracy.
The user-friendly interface of T9731- EN14683 is suitable for prototype and pre-series stage analyses and investigations, along with manufacturing line testing. The wide 7" color screen, built-in HMI (human-machine interface) touch-screen controller, allowing entire engagement with the inner and main-screen settings, and the "smart" evidentiary archive comprises daily, monthly, and unique for every testing program, so that the quality standard of the surgical masks can be maintained.
Users don't need to make assumptions about pressure statistics because T9731- EN14683 can generate a real-time graph of pressure and decay that could help to understand the differential pressure of surgical masks. Its display is available in six different languages (English, Italian, French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese) for international customers.
The three operating modes (flow test mode, loss of charge mode, and leak test holder mode) of T9731- EN14683 also make it unique in its features. It includes a USB for storing data, Wi-Fi, RS232, RS485, CAN, TTY, Ethernet TCP/IP, and auxiliary connectors. Label printer, barcode reader and leak test manager PC software are all instantly connected through an internal interface.
There is no expertise required for operating T9731- EN14683, you just need to place the mask into the holder and close it. The kit is composed of the instrument and the holder, it automatically regulates the constant flow of 8 l/min, and testing time is very fast. The differential pressure is measured in Pa/ cm2. If the differential pressure is less than the defined limit, the result will display "GOOD."
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