Supporting the fight against COVID-19 with Melt Flow

Sep 24 2020

ZwickRoell is proud to support the production of PPE through easy-to-use and reliable testing instruments. Currently, ZwickRoell Mflows are being used to qualify material to be used as personal protective equipment. Polypropylene is used for spun-bound and melt-blown resins in medical face masks.

While the spun-bound resin has a lower melt index, the melt-blown resin is three times as high. The Mflow can handle both materials, with accurate and reliable results. The resin will eventually end up as three-ply surgical masks. The ZwickRoell MFlow provides support in three ways:

1.       Production testing requires quick feedback of the product to determine if material specifications are being met by the producer.

2.       Accurate melt flow data is critical for customers producing PPE. An incorrect melt index may result in improper production and therefore a product with unsatisfactory properties.

3.       Producing the blown fiber web requires the addition of peroxide. The melt index must be accurate to predict the correct amount of peroxide required and avoid production issues.

ZwickRoell in North America has a technical support team and application engineers to support customers with application questions. Our ISO 17025 calibration services ensure the instruments are performing to standard.