Masks “made in Germany”

Flexible automation technology for special purpose machinery manufacture 

With the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic, the need for FFP2 respirator masks increased exponentially. In the early days, however, there was a lack of production capacity. That changed quickly in the course of 2020. Experienced mechanical engineers reacted promptly and were able to offer efficient solutions “made in Germany” within an astonishingly short time. One provider who very quickly implemented a machine concept in collaboration with automation specialist Yaskawa is special machine manufacturer Unimatic Automationssysteme GmbH from Grub am Forst near Coburg. The concept was the result of powerful drive and control technology from Yaskawa combined with good teamwork between the two partners. 

When the government discovered in March 2020 that there was a shortage of medical protective equipment, it commissioned German companies to manufacture it. However, most of them did not have the appropriate facilities. This is how Unimatic Automationssysteme GmbH came to receive an inquiry from a customer about the possibility of constructing a production system for FFP2 respirator masks within a short period of time. The special machine manufacturer did not hesitate to accept the challenge. The firm called in colleagues from Unimatic China, who already had valuable experience in this field. “In a joint venture with China, we developed the system concept and adapted it to the standards of the European market,” reports Dr. Robert Kahlau, head of the Robotics department at Unimatic. “The customer initially ordered four systems, but the final order was for a total of eight production lines.”