MEMSİS Environmental Technologies Research and Development General Manager Prof. Dr. İsmail Koyuncu said, “The production of N95 and higher quality masks, which are produced from 100 percent domestic materials, has been completed.”

General Manager of MEMSİS, one of the companies of ITU ARI Teknokent, Prof. Dr. İsmail Koyuncu explained that the main filter materials of the mask filter, which are produced in Turkey, are of N95 and higher quality, come from abroad. Koyuncu said that there were problems in importing these materials with the COVID-19 outbreak.

“High quality, 100 percent local materials”

Explaining that filter material could not be brought due to the export ban of mask filter material applied by countries such as France and Germany, Koyuncu said the following regarding their work:

“As MEMSİS, we have completed the product development process and started trial scale production in order to prevent the shortage of mask filter material supply, to continue the production of masks with N95 and higher quality in our country, and to provide products to people in our country, especially doctors, who are fighting the coronavirus on the front lines.

After the cooperation with Gama R&D company at the point of turning it into a final product, the production of N95 and higher quality masks, which are produced from high quality 100 percent domestic materials in accordance with all international standards, has been completed. In these difficult times, including our country, a very serious number of masks were produced and made available to the personnel of the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Health National Defense.

Developed in the first week of March

Koyuncu stated that the R&D studies on the development of filters for N95-N99 type masks date back a few years, and that they have accelerated the work with the latest developments.

Explaining that mask filter material at N95 and N99 levels has been developed at 100% domestic level since the first week of March, Koyuncu said, “The products developed have been tested in an accredited laboratory that tests at international standards and it has been confirmed that they provide performance at N95 and higher levels.”

Explaining that the project was carried out at the Istanbul Technical University National Membrane Technologies Application and Research Center (MEM-TEK), Koyuncu said that the R&D team, consisting of Dr. Türker Türken, Dr. Mehmet Emin Paşaoğlu and Dr. Recep Kaya, carried out a very intense work in the development of the project.

Trial scale production started

Stating that the project is supported by Istanbul Technical University, ITU ARI Teknokent and TUBITAK, Koyuncu gave the following information about the phases of the project:

“Within the scope of the project, we first developed the nanofiber production technology. We produced mask filters with nanofiber production technology, which produces mask filters with a width of 1 meter. By making the nanofiber production device functional with our own knowledge, we have established the largest infrastructure that produces in this field in Turkey and we have risen to the leading position in this regard. We are in the process of making our own patent applications by further developing this production technology.

In order to prevent the shortage of mask filter material supply, to continue the production of masks with N95 and above features in our country, to provide products to our people, who are fighting against the COVID-19 virus, primarily to healthcare workers in our country, MEMSIS Environment, which is within the body of ITU ARI Teknokent, has completed the development process. We have put the technologies into trial scale production as R&D. I am proud of being one of the few teams in the world capable of industrial-scale trial-scale production in this regard, and I would like to congratulate my team in this regard.”

“We have the infrastructure to produce mask filters”

İsmail Koyuncu said that by completing the production of N95 and higher masks, they produced a very serious number of masks in these difficult times, including Turkey.

Noting that they put the masks at the service of the employees working in the field, Koyuncu said, “We currently have the infrastructure to produce mask filters with N95 properties to be used in the production of around 10 thousand masks per day.”

“We continue our work regardless of the concept of overtime”

Koyuncu explained that under the leadership of Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, a meeting was held with all mask manufacturers in Turkey. He said that they stated that they could bring the technology developed at this meeting to the infrastructures of the participant mask manufacturers, and that the mask manufacturer companies were also very keen on this issue.

Explaining that they started work with a mask manufacturer company to bring this production infrastructure to the company, Koyuncu said:

“These studies will be completed within a month at the latest, and mask manufacturers will no longer be dependent on foreign countries for N95 mask filters. 100% domestic N95 mask filters can be used by all mask manufacturers in our country. We continue our work on this subject day and night, regardless of the concept of overtime.

At this point, I would like to thank our Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır for his leadership and support in the trial scale production process of masks.

Currently, N95 quality mask filters are produced daily, which will be used in the production of around 10 thousand masks. We aim to increase this number to at least 500 thousand on a daily basis to meet the needs of all mask manufacturers.”

“We want to complete our membrane filter development work”

Koyuncu said that MEMSIS Environmental Technologies company, which is part of ITU ARI Teknokent, has produced solutions in a way that will present the information obtained in scientific studies for the benefit of the industry.