Smart Molding International 2-2020

medical application 25 www.smart-molding.com A new high-tech product FT-TEC is currently working on is an emergency device for 5G networks in the NB IoT (Narrowband Internet of Things) seg - ment. The company’s project partner is Deutsche Telekom AG, the customer is T-Mobile. The COVID-19 crisis prompted FT-TEC to develop a protective face shield cov - ering the eyes, nose and mouth. In this context, it was important for Friedrich Trobolowitsch to stick to his philoso - phy of creating a high-quality product which is not only fit for everyday use, but also meets the most stringent re - quirements for medical technology and is thus also suitable for use in hospitals and nursing care environments. Con - sideration of its environmental impact was not neglected either. With the help of 3D printing, an ap - propriate design was created which dif - fers from other models on the market primarily by the fact that the shields are less strongly bent and consequently of - fer more freedom of movement. Series production was started in mid-April. To meet the high quality require - ments, exclusively face shields made of PETG are used. This type of PET modified with glycol offers extremely high transparency, low viscosity and high impact resistance. The attributes of this material allow the exchangeable and recyclable face shields to be cleaned with disinfectants containing alcohol. The shields are cut to size from rolled sheet and given the required form by a laser cutter. FT-TEC makes the fasteners for the shields by injection molding with equipment from WITTMANN BAT - TENFELD. The material used is POM, a resin ideally suited for the produc - tion of high-precision parts due to its excellent dimensional stability. Fas - teners are currently produced from recycled POM in white, red, black and blue. The respective molds, a single- cavity mold used on a machine with 650 kN clamping force and a 4-cavity mold fitted onto a machine with 1,100 kN clamping force, have come from the Burgenland-based company HWB Horitschoner Werkzeugbau. The face shields can be printed in - dividually with an alcohol-resistant UV printing toner. In addition to the standard models, the company makes special models to fit children. The pres - ent daily production capacity stands at about25,000 units. As a next step, FT-TEC is planning to develop a new product for the medical sector. These models will be suitable for intensive care medicine, where pro - tective goggles are required to be worn as well. WITTMANN BATTENFELD www.wittmann-group.com Friedrich Trobolowitsch, CEO of FT-TEC, with a finished product ready for shipment From the left: Christoph Schweinberger, Sales WITTMANN Kunststoffgeräte, Roland Pechtl, Sales WITTMANN BATTENFELD and Friedrich Trobolowitsch, CEO FT-TEC, with fasteners made of recycled POM for the FACEshield (Photos: WITTMANN BATTENFELD) Friedrich Trobolowitsch, CEO of FT-TEC, with a finished product ready for shipment