Funded by Innovate UK, this project required rapid innovation to meet the health and safety needs of the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. We put together and managed a collaborative team formed of Lancaster University, University of Central Lancaster, National Physics Laboratory, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Swansea Bay University Hospital and Smurfit Kappa. This team ensured the rapid design and development of this safety critical piece of PPE.
Concept design, prototyping, user testing and set up of ‘on demand’ UK manufacturing.
A fully biodegradable face visor that could be mass-produced up to 100,000 units per day to assist the need for UK-made PPE. The carbon footprint of the PPECO FaceVisor was 86% lower than most competitive plastic alternatives. It was CE-approved and flat-packed
to save on storage space.
The idea initially took shape by creating a proof of concept with very basic materials and produced by hand on the kitchen table (due to lockdown!). This was used to secure grant funding from the UK government to progress the idea. The initial span of funding was then extended to allow the face visor to get into a production-ready format. Over 60 prototypes were produced to refine the initial idea and ensure that the product was 100% biodegradable and met all the requirements of medical professionals. UCLan were instrumental in providing user testing reports from their medical professionals on the front line. Lancaster Uni completed an audit report on ‘Life Cycle Analysis’ of the face visor.Meanwhile, STFC and NPL were involved to ensure medical certification compliance, allowing Smurfit Kappa – a FTSE 100 company – to offer large-scale production capabilities.
