At the same time Textil Batavia attended to the demand for the supply of technical textiles for the elaboration of the best possible masks for the Guardia Civil, and later from many other groups, began the work to be able to homologate a good mask with the fabrics that we had within our reach.
The mission would have been very simple if these fabrics, so far available and at low prices, had remained available, but they were sold out all over Spain, and then no more have arrived. The main reason was that the producing countries ordered the confiscation of the manufacture of these fabrics to meet their domestic needs first, and then export the finished products to the world, and not the materials to manufacture them. This was extended to almost all medical products whose global demand quickly exhausted all own and third-party stocks. With the consequent abusive increase in prices. That is what there was, and what there is today.
After three reports from AITEX (Instituto Tecnológico Textil de la Comunidad Valenciana) with a negative result, we managed to pass the preliminary tests on April 5th, having received yesterday the complete report 2020TM0590 with positive results in the 4 key points of the UNE EN 14683:2019 + AC:2019 STANDARD for Type IIR surgical masks:
- Efficiency of Bacterial FILTRATION (BFE), with results above 98%
- BREATHABILITY, obtaining a value much higher than allowed.
- Resistance to SPLASHING of potentially contaminating fluids.
- Population of microorganisms present in the masks, reaching a value 20% below the maximum allowed.
In short, the product achieved is optimum for protection against COVID-19, mainly due to the water-repellent nature of all the fabrics that form it, thus preventing the penetration of the droplets through which the virus travels. These remain on the surface of the fabric without spreading through it, as occurs with other materials, and other types of surgical masks (type I and type II), which when wet facilitate the spread of the virus. This, together with its very high % of BFE (Bacterial Filtration Efficiency), and its ease of breathing, make it an effective protection element.
The current production capacity is 1200 masks per day, and we expect to reach 10,000 per week soon. They are few, but they are made here in our small workshop in BÉTERA (Valencia) with sewing machines, not robots, by people who are excited about their work, respecting the strictest hygiene measures and all the regulations that, like any other company in Europe, we are obliged to comply with. It seems obvious, but it is not so obvious when we see (if we want to look) the hygienic, working and environmental conditions from where many of the masks that are coming to Spain come from.
Thank you, all of you.
