Indian Company Manufactures N-100 Mask which Filters 99.97% Air – Make in India

Mumbai: Under Make in India drive, few creative minds have made a mask called XD100. The company named Excel 3D Advanced Technologies has made this reusable mask and now applied for a patent because of its unique design. Mumbai based Sameet Raut & his London based partners, Dr Rahul Gore and others, have developed and produced this mask in India. They have developed this mask keeping front-liners like doctors, nurses & others in mind.

In the N-100 mask category, there are only 9 companies in the world that make such masks. In India right now, front liners have been provided with an N-95 mask but this category of the mask which is N-100 is safer as it filters 99.97% of 0.3 microns particle size.

“We are into the 3D printing business and during this pandemic, we wanted to make the most efficient and affordable mask which will help frontliners and is far more superior than N-95 masks. Also, there are no companies in India that make the N-100 or equivalent masks currently,” said Sameet Raut. Sameet and his team took 4 months to design & develop this mask using advanced technologies while their other team was looking after documentation and legal permissions. “There is a USA based firm which sells N-100 mask in India. This firm manufactures the mask in China and they are costlier. We focused on the best quality by using the highest standard medical materials with a long life which will result in affordability. We provide 5 filters with this reusable mask ” said Sameet Raut.

XD100 is washable and its filtration capacity does not reduce with every wash like any other cotton mask, as it’s medical-grade plastic and only filter needs to be changed.

The developer feels a single filter can be used for 10 days in the Non-COVID situation and in the COVID situation every shift it should be replaced. This mask was tested by DRDO, appointed by ICMR and now the company has applied for FDA and has got the manufacturing code.

The company has sent the mask to the USA FDA for its NIOSH approval. Excel 3D is the only Indian company that is making an N-100 equivalent mask under the FFP3 category. Sameet feels this mask will be used in Industrial application for people working in Cement, Chemicals, pharmaceutical companies and not just COVID situation.

XD100 mask filters 99.97% air which is 4% more than N-95 mask. The government has advised not to use the N-95 mask which has exhalation valve. Then how safe is this mask as there is a valve in this mask too? Sameet said,” Valve of N-95 mask has been fitted separately, in XD100 mask we have integrated it in the design and considering the advisory from Indian government we have also arranged a filter in the exhalation valve”.

Source: TNN