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Turns out N95 masks are quite high-tech, and even China is having trouble scaling up its production. They're made of a material, meltblown fabric, which only a

Turns out N95 masks are quite high-tech, and even China is having trouble scaling up its production. They're made of a material, meltblown fabric, which only a limited number of factories are capable of producing. https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/03/16/814929294/covid-19-has-caused-a-shortage-of-face-masks-but-theyre-surprisingly-hard-to-mak https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/03/16/8149292...

jeremydw 7y ago
IDK. I get that it's a hard problem, but it's a solvable one. It's not like it's some equation or law of science that needs to be discovered. It can be solved with money and effort. :\ I get the economics don't work out in normal times for a reserve like this, but that's exactly what an insurance policy (i.e. a federal reserve of medical supplies) is for. It's just like nukes. We have a stockpile of them that are maintained... nukes are very hard to produce... etc. etc.
fma 7y ago
They aren't having trouble scaling up... They already have. 200 million masks a day, 20x in February. If we (America) can't scale up we are in deep doodoo. Trump has been pissing off China by calling the Corona virus the "China Virus".
- generatorguy 7y ago
  200 million surgical masks but only 600k n95 masks, per the npr article gp linked to. The machines to make the n95 masks take both the Germans and Chinese about 6 months to make.
FireBeyond 7y ago
The only real facility for high volume production in the US is 3M in Minnesota, I believe. Current estimates place supply chain matching demand in 80-90 days (though I don't know if that's domestic or worldwide).
burfog 7y ago
The problem is harder if we demand flexible fabric. That isn't how gas masks are done. With a canister filter, all sorts of options become possible. We could use sintered glass, ceramic, or metal. We might be able to use aerogel, diatomaceous earth, or metal foam. We could even go electronic, with a UV light. Filters with greater air flow resistance can be used if we add a blower. Remember that the virus can enter via eyes. Eyes need protection. Eyes also need air, and it can't be humid or the protection will fog up. For this too, a blower would help.

jeremydw 7y ago

IDK. I get that it's a hard problem, but it's a solvable one. It's not like it's some equation or law of science that needs to be discovered. It can be solved with money and effort. :\ I get the economics don't work out in normal times for a reserve like this, but that's exactly what an insurance policy (i.e. a federal reserve of medical supplies) is for. It's just like nukes. We have a stockpile of them that are maintained... nukes are very hard to produce... etc. etc.

fma 7y ago

They aren't having trouble scaling up... They already have. 200 million masks a day, 20x in February. If we (America) can't scale up we are in deep doodoo. Trump has been pissing off China by calling the Corona virus the "China Virus".

generatorguy 7y ago
200 million surgical masks but only 600k n95 masks, per the npr article gp linked to. The machines to make the n95 masks take both the Germans and Chinese about 6 months to make.

FireBeyond 7y ago

The only real facility for high volume production in the US is 3M in Minnesota, I believe. Current estimates place supply chain matching demand in 80-90 days (though I don't know if that's domestic or worldwide).

burfog 7y ago

The problem is harder if we demand flexible fabric. That isn't how gas masks are done. With a canister filter, all sorts of options become possible. We could use sintered glass, ceramic, or metal. We might be able to use aerogel, diatomaceous earth, or metal foam. We could even go electronic, with a UV light. Filters with greater air flow resistance can be used if we add a blower. Remember that the virus can enter via eyes. Eyes need protection. Eyes also need air, and it can't be humid or the protection will fog up. For this too, a blower would help.