Composites and advanced materials precision slitting company, Bindatex, is supporting the call for help.

The company, which is based in Bolton, has reconfigured its production to begin the manufacture of die-cutting discs for ventilator filters. At present, Bindatex is working with its customers, producing the parts, but is also able to support other manufacturers by providing the filters.
In addition, the company has introduced emergency plans in order to maintain
high levels of health and safety for employees during the pandemic.
For further information https://bindatex.com/

Joe Govier, CEO of Connect 2 Cleanrooms, a UK cleanroom design and build specialist, has issued the following message.

“We would welcome enquiries from any organisation who is looking for a quick-to-production cleanroom manufacturing environment to support ventilator production. We keep stock of standard size modular cleanrooms and these are offered with optional installation and validation, but also with clear self-assembly instructions and validation equipment should your site have personnel restrictions
in place.”
For further information www.connect2cleanrooms.com

Worcester-based Gtech is making public the design details of a medical ventilator which could be manufactured in a matter of days to help in the fight against COVID-19. Nick Grey, owner of Gtech began working on the project after being contacted by Gareth Rhys Williams, the Government’s chief commercial officer, who asked if Gtech could assist in making up to 30,000 medical ventilators in as little as two weeks.

“We have designed the ventilator entirely from parts that can readily be made from stock materials or bought off-the-shelf,” says Grey. “This means that if government approves and wants our ventilators, they can be made by almost any engineering and manufacturing company. Gtech could produce around 100 per day within a week or two providing we could find steel fabrication and CNC machining companies to help us make some of the parts.”
For further information www.gtech.co.uk

In order to support the national effort for coronavirus ventilator production, fluid expert ITW Rocol is on hand.

The company’s OT20 lubricant has been formulated specifically for ventilators used in hospital wards and operating theatres. Rocol OT20 is considered a ‘fit and forget’ lubricant that is compatible with most plastics and non-metallic seals used on breathing apparatus.
As an oxygen-compatible lubricant primarily designed for breathing apparatus, OT20 lengthens re-lubrication periods due to its ability to resist degradation in hostile conditions. Rocol OT20 is also a high-load grease that means it can be deployed in range of aggressive environments with a temperature range from -70 to +100°C.
As it does not have a detrimental effect on rubbers, plastics or metals, it is suitable for valves, slides, gearboxes, and both plain and anti-friction bearings.
For further information www.rocol.com

Engineers, anaesthetists and surgeons from the University of Oxford and King’s College London are working in partnership to test prototypes of a rapidly deployable ventilator that can be manufactured using techniques and tools available in well-equipped university and SME workshops.

The team, led by Oxford professors Andrew Farmery, Mark Thompson and Alfonso Castrejon-Pita, and King’s College London’s Dr Federico Formenti, has been working to define novel mechanisms of operation that will meet the required specifications
for safe and reliable function. The design aims to exploit off-the-shelf components and equipment.
For further information https://oxvent.org/