Piezoceramic the key in protective mask production

Similarly, respirators save the lives of many critically ill patients and can be seen daily in the news in the fights against the COVID-19 virus. In both cases, piezoceramic is a key component involved in the production process as well as optimal functioning of these vital products.

Reliable and stable components and parts play a crucial role in the highly cyclical production process of medical protective masks. For the industrial production of such masks, even for very large quantities, ultrasonic welding machines are used to produce the hem of the masks and join multiple layers.

Piezoceramic power transducers are core components of ultrasonic welding equipment used in the production of the seam. Ultrasonic welding uses the frictional energy generated by the ultra-sound at the interfaces of the materials to be joined.  

If two moulded parts are pressed together at their joint surfaces and excited with high-frequency ultrasound, their joint surfaces fuse together. This works with some metal parts as well as with plastic parts including artificial fibres as often also wires are inserted into the seam in order to be able to adapt the masks to the facial contours and thus further increase the protective performance. The ultrasonic energy is supplied to the materials to be joined via a so-called sonotrode.

The sonotrode amplifies the ultrasound generated by the piezo composite oscillator. The piezo composite oscillator is made up of two or more piezoceramic rings which are clamped together by means of metal end pieces. These rings are made of piezoceramic materials and play the main role in the ultrasonic welding process. CeramTec’s low loss materials and tolerances ensure maximum efficiency of process by minimizing mechanical and electrical losses in the transducer and system.

The high number of intensive care patients fighting for their lives against the novel coronavirus who are in need of ventilators has made these devices a very scarce commodity and presents manufacturers with great challenges to produce and make available additional devices as quickly as possible. In addition to the actual ventilation, the simultaneous medication of the patient also plays a central role.

Increasingly atomizing or nebulizing of liquid medications is used during delivery. Due to the good respirable properties of the atomized particles, the efficacy of the administered drug is significantly increased compared to conventional dosing methods.

CeramTec's piezoceramic components are a key component in various atomization systems. As soon as an alternating voltage is applied to it, it begins to oscillate at a high frequency, medication is either directly or indirectly agitated by this oscillation action from the piezo ceramic creating small droplets for the patient to inhale.