Injection tool designers BP Nel Consulting has completed the design of three plastic injection mould tools for the production of valves used in medical ventilators amid the local increase in demand for viable ventilator supplies as a result of Covid-19.

“The company started the design of the injection mould tools in March, with the project to be completed in early July 2020,” says BP Nel owner Ben Nel.

He says the research for this type of project was minimal, as the template for the valve had been developed by the company through its experience and commitment to constant development.

A team of local design and manufacturing companies are working “around the clock” to complete these ventilators for the local market, adds Nel.

The development of the valve – one of many components of the ventilator – entails designing, developing and refining the prototype, and subsequently repeating the process until the results are satisfactory.

“This process was followed, after which BP Nel designed the tooling for production,” he notes.

Although BP Nel has not been listed as an essential service, the company has managed to continue assisting clients with design and testing, facilitated by the company’s staff, who can all work remotely.

Nel points out that the company uses the latest design technology and is equipped to work remotely on even the most complex design problems.

“Clients can review designs on their mobile devices and can view a design three dimensionally using a normal browser without the need of any software or applications,” he enthuses.

Further, clients can view cross sections, measurements, explode the view of an assembly and leave comments, all of which could be requested during a normal contract.

“We have capacity for new projects and can be contacted using either our usual contact details or new multimedia and social media platforms, such as Zoom and WhatsApp,” Nel concludes.