COLUMBUS, Ind. – Cummins has teamed with DuPont to use its NanoNet and NanoForce filtration technologies to produce N95 respirator masks, for use in the fight against Covid-19.

The filtration technologies can be found in air, fuel, and lube filtration products used in heavy-duty diesel engines to prevent long-term engine wear, but can also be used in the N95 respirator masks desperately needed by healthcare professionals.

“Cummins is re-evaluating our supply base and manufacturing capabilities to identify how we can support our healthcare professionals who rely on critical personal protective equipment to do their jobs,” said Amy Davis, vice-president of Cummins Filtration. “Our NanoNet media can fill a key supply void and help address the mask shortage facing the United States and other countries around the world.”

The first mask prototypes produced using the donated media were assembled by the University of Minnesota teams in March, which will provide masks to M Health Fairview and other Minneapolis-based healthcare providers.

“The first thing we recognized from our experts in the Center for Filtration Research, who work directly with Cummins, is that not all filtration materials are created equal and that the Cummins material is an excellent alternative,” said Jakub Tolar, campus health officer and medical school dean at the University of Minnesota.

“We are tremendously grateful for the generous donation from Cummins of their filtration materials toward our mask effort. Since the arrival of the filtration media, we have been able to make rapid progress, and we now believe we have several viable mask options, including both a disposable and re-usable option. These designs show real promise in keeping our healthcare workers safe should standard medical supplies of N95 masks no longer be available.”