Start a Spherical Nonwoven Swab Manufacturing

(170) Start a  Spherical Nonwoven Swab Manufacturing

The currently used cotton gauze pads are comprised of multiple layers of woven

fabric secured together in a rectangular or square shape (Figure 1). These pads are

used to wipe blood or other body fluids from incisions or wounds. An ideal surgical

swab should have higher absorbency, better wicking, high wet strength with a soft

feel and should provide easy swipe during surgery. In addition, the swab should

have low linting (fibre migration), non-toxic and should create low bio-medical

waste. The currently used woven gauze pads have following disadvantages:-

- lower absorbency, so multiple layers and larger dimensions (45X45, 30X30,

22.5X22.5 sq. cm) are used leading to higher bio-medical waste;

- not easy to fold edges of multiple layers of smaller dimensions (e.g. 5X5,

7.5X7.5 sq.cm) which may lead to infections due to edges;

- currently, smaller dimensions are being used by holding in a clipper scissor

folded in a spherical shape;

- larger dimensions (45X45, 30X30, 22.5X22.5 sq. cm) are being used for neuro,

ophthalmic or keyhole surgeries creating high level of bio-medical waste,

although smaller dimensions can be used for these surgeries.

A joint clinical and laboratory study conducted at East Glamorgan General Hospital,

UK and Surgical Material Testing Laboratory, UK has established that the nonwoven

swab has practical and economic advantages over traditional cotton gauze owing to

their ability to retain fluid and is manufactured using less expensive raw materials1.

It has also been demonstrated that the nonwoven swabs are more absorbent than

that of traditional cotton gauze both on a gram/gram basis and in terms of total

absorbency of the swabs. On comparison in terms of softness, conformability,

ability to pad or pack, resistance to snagging, shredding and ease of counting when

wet, the nonwoven swab is as effective as traditional gauze. Additionally, the

manufacturing of nonwoven swab is simpler than that of traditional gauze which

involves spinning, weaving and chemical processing. In terms of bio-medical waste,

nonwoven swabs generate a lesser amount of dump owing to higher absorbency

than that of traditional gauze.

        

Market Size and Competition

The initial findings suggest that there is a huge requirement of this newly developed

product in the operation theatres, for dental applications and by the medical staffs

involved in the management of wound, such as removing wound exudates, cleaning

or application of medicaments both in Indian and overseas market. Additionally,

owing to the low fibre migration, these products are also preferred in place of

cotton-balls for cosmetic applications. Currently, hand rolled solid ball of cotton and

woven cotton gauze pads are being used in the Indian market. Most of them are

manually manufactured and are usually prepared within the department from the

sterile cotton roll or using woven cotton fabric. There are local sterile cotton

converters who provide the cotton balls and woven plied gauze (usually manual).

As an estimate, over 20 million pieces (per month) are required for the domestic

market. Internationally, the feedback received from the company’s manufacturing

the ‘First-Aid Kits’, the requirement could be of 500 million pieces (per month) for

exports. Our competitors are suppliers of woven gauze pads. However, none of

these are supplying gauze pads in the spherical structure especially in the smaller

dimensions.

Manufacturing Systems for Nonwoven Swabs

High reliability and the automatic transfer of product piles into a packaging machine coupled to the manufacturing machine are distinguishing features of the GFM manufacturing systems for Nonwoven swabs.

Processing
●  Unrolling ●  Winding ●  Cutting ●  Folding ●  Cross cutting ●  Folding ●  Collecting ●  Transferring

Spherical Non woven Swab Machine Manufacture

GFM Maschinenbau GmbH  Karlstraße 1    45739 Oer-Erkenschwick    Germany
www.gfmmaschinenbau.de/