AMETEK Surface Vision, a leading provider of online surface inspection solutions, is helping nonwoven fabrics manufacturers meet increased demands for the production of personal protective equipment (PPE).

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased demand for a wide range of medical clothing that meets regulatory standards for healthcare and hygiene, including protective masks, gowns, caps and scrub suits. As nonwovens provide critical air permeability while protecting against airborne particles, these properties must be protected to ensure they are safe to use.

Surface Vision’s industry-leading inspection and monitoring solutions provide the required quality and consistency by identifying typical material defects across a range of nonwoven production processes, even at the high-speed production volumes required to support the manufacture of single-use items.

Combining cutting-edge software and rugged, proven hardware, Surface Vision’s SmartView and SmartAdvisor systems perform real-time detection and classification needed to identify nonwoven material defects. Uniting powerful web inspection and monitoring capabilities, imperfections are captured by a combination of synchronized high-resolution colour camera technologies and LED lighting arrays, capturing high-quality defect images using multiple inspection angles.

The inspection data is processed through high-performance computer systems, integrating sophisticated software control tools and detailed real-time analysis into an easy-to-operate package. Real-time detection of critical nonwoven defects is achieved by automatically identifying and visualizing product imperfections and diagnosing the root cause of the imperfection.

A long-established surface inspection provider for the global nonwovens market, Surface Vision’s extensive applications experience, particularly in lighting set-ups, ensures the manufacturers receive the most effective solution for each application. And, as all hardware is non-proprietary, AMETEK Surface Vision experts select the best-fit technology that is delivered, installed and commissioned by experienced service personnel, the company reports.

As Surface Vision systems are completely modular in design, they can be expanded or upgraded whenever needed to meet changing customer requirements, such as those experienced currently.

“The benefits are immediate: improved product quality, better productivity and maximized yields to ensure safety for frontline workers and a reduction in waste product,” AMETEK says.

Yamina Lansari, Global Manager of Technical Services, AMETEK Surface Vision, said: “High performance has never been more important to the healthcare sector, so the trust and reassurance quality surface inspection brings to the nonwovens industry helps make a critical difference.”

www.ameteksurfacevision.com