Automotive and industrial filtration manufacturer Mann+Hummel (Ludwigsburg / Germany; www.mann-hummel.com) has developed a mobile air cleaner called “FreciousComfort Clean” and is supplying a filter system for a new air purifier respirator developed by Ford. Both products were created in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The air cleaner was made to reduce the concentration of airborne infectious microorganisms in sensitive areas, such as temporary hospitals set up in tents or in exhibition centres in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. FreciousComfort Clean is designed with a three-stage filter system. This includes a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter with a micro glass fibre medium that captures microorganisms and viruses in droplet form. The HEPA filter is designed to the ISO 29463 standard (for filters with efficiencies of at least 95%) and incorporates activated carbon with the polyphenol-coated layers to absorb odours and filter out dangerous gases.

In a collaboration with Ford, the two companies manufactured a powered air purifier respirator intended for healthcare workers treating Covid-19 patients. Mann+Hummel is supplying the class H13 HEPA filter, which has an efficiency of at least 99.95% and meets the European EN 1822 standard for performance in applications where the penetrating particle is as small as 0.2 μm. To date Mann+Hummel produces, tests and ships 3,500 HEPA filter elements per day from manufacturing sites in the US for Ford’s respirator application. The carmaker is capable of producing 100,000 respirators over the next two months.

Mann+Hummel said its acquisitions of Swedish European Vokes Air Group in 2014, Tri-Dim Filter (Louisa, Virginia / USA) in 2018 and the Hardy Filtration (Trois Rivières, Quebec / Canada) business in 2019 added 90 years of air filtration and cleanroom technology expertise to its knowledge base and increased its portfolio of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and HEPA filtration products.