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Fabio Perini patents converting line upgrades for face mask production

Fabio Perini has patented technology to produce up to 10,000 biodegradable bamboo masks per minute.

The upgrade is available for Fabio Perini converting lines, new and/or already installed.

The technology, which was developed in just over a month during the coronavirus lockdowns, can be adapted to all main non-woven materials, including a particular bamboo-based material that is biodegradable and can be disposed of with other organic waste.

“Opportunities for innovation are everywhere, even in the midst of a health crisis, and during the lockdown our team got to work to respond to two needs: on the one hand, the huge demand for face masks – the Polytechnic University of Turin, for example, estimates that Italian companies alone will need almost one billion a month; on the other, the issue of their disposal,” says Oswaldo Cruz Jr., CEO of the Italy-based Fabio Perini S.p.A. and the Körber Tissue Business Area, in a statement.

Photo: Fabio Perini

These single-layer masks are useful for daily, collective and community use in places such as airports, public transportation, shopping malls, supermarkets, groceries and other workplaces.

“The solution makes our machines also capable of manufacturing certified masks; however, pairing these materials with plastic would make the masks non-biodegradable. Nevertheless, together with different raw materials suppliers in the industry we are testing specific material solutions and we are confident of finding a solution soon,” says Cruz.

“We work with toilet paper and paper towel manufacturers across the world, from China to the United States – we have seen an important change. Initially the request was to increase the production capacity of the machines, especially those for toilet paper, due to the ‘stock effect’ of these products, and to cope with this we even introduced a service for the fast delivery of machines,” he continues.

“As weeks went by, demand has focused more on folded tissue paper products, due to the increase in the number of disposable items being used to meet greater hygiene needs. I believe this will continue as a trend for a long time to come.”

To hear more about Fabio Perini’s new technology and how the tissue industry has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, tune into the latest episode of Pulp & Paper Canada: The Podcast.