The Nonwovens Institute (NWI) has announced that it has expanded its filtration testing lab, featuring services for face masks and respirators, along with filter media for automotive, HEPA and HVAC applications. Importantly, NWI’s filtration testing lab is A2LA Accredited for ISO 17025, enabling it to meet NIOSH requirements for testing materials used in respirators, and it is outfitted with equipment to perform ASTM F2299 testing for the measurement of Particle Filtration Efficiency (PFE) at 0.1 microns.

Testing equipment available in NWI’s Filtration Testing lab includes PALAS MFP-3000-S fractional aerosol filter test, two TSI 8130 machines for filtration efficiency, two TSI 3160 machines for filtration efficiency, two offline charging and discharging units, two environmental chambers for aging and conditioning masks and filter media, TSI Portacount respirator fit tester, Testex TN 139 synthetic blood tester, testing apparatus for the measurement of fluid resistance for surgical masks and prototyping facility to produce masks per NIOSH standard test protocol.

NWI’s filtration testing lab is managed by Amy Minton, who has more than 20 years of experience in administering a wide variety of analytical, physical and filtration test methods for nonwoven materials.

“NWI’s filtration testing lab is an important addition to the Institute’s impressive nonwoven fabrication and testing capabilities,” said Minton, who also manages the NWI Analytical and Physical Testing Lab. “Having an ISO 17025 accredited lab for the testing of nonwoven filter media allows us to serve the needs of nonwovens companies who are targeting the fast-growing filtration market. ISO 17025, our decades of testing experience, and our strict adherence to GMP and standard operating procedures provides our industry partners assurance that the tests they conduct at NWI will be executed with the highest level of quality and accuracy.”

In addition to NWI’s filtration testing lab, NWI offers a fully equipped analytical and physical testing lab with more than 60 tests available for nonwoven materials. NWI also offers lab and pilot-scale capabilities for fibre spinning, meltblown, spunbond and hydroentangling, staple/carded nonwovens, among others.