The Technical University – Sofia, in partnership with industry, designed and developed the production of protective eyewear against COVID-19 within 12 days

Leading researchers from the Technical University – Sofia, in partnership with Sofia Tech Park AD and Arexim Engineering EAD, designed and implemented protective eyewear on the production line in an exceptionally short time. The glasses are intended for people working in the most risky areas in the fight to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. The achievement lies in transitioning from the idea and design stages to serial production, which was accomplished in just 12 days, whereas under normal conditions, the minimum time for realizing this cycle is 4-6 months. The author's design is by the Technical University – Sofia, the creation of the molds was carried out at Sofia Tech Park, and the production was done by the Bulgarian company Arexim Engineering, Smolyan. The short implementation time is the result of simultaneous and synchronized work by the partners. The development is an example of realized technological transfer and synergy between science, technology, and industry in extremely short timeframes, representing a success for Bulgarian science and business. 

The project glasses consist of two parts: the so-called "glass" made of polycarbonate (PC) and the "body" made of PVC, "Elastollan" type. The key points related to the development are three – an author's design by the team from the Technical University – Sofia and the implementation of two innovations in the tooling and production processes. The author's design integrates the technological forms of the constituent parts with their ergonomics and functionality – soft and comfortable to wear, without sweating or irritating the skin, with the highest degree of protection from the external environment. The first production innovation consists in using the "rapid tooling" process to manufacture the molds used to form the constituent parts of the glasses. This allows for a significant reduction in the time required to create the molding tools (tooling). In "rapid tooling", the processing sequence is reversed compared to conventional tooling methods: it starts with a thermally treated material of moderate hardness, which is then subjected to "high speed milling". As a result, the erosion process used in traditional tooling processes is eliminated. In addition to the reduced manufacturing time, the molds obtained through rapid tooling have a lower cost compared to conventional methods. The second innovation is related to the way the constituent parts of the glasses – the glass and the body – are molded. First, the glass is injection-molded into the corresponding mold, and then the body of the glasses is formed by re-injection. The innovation lies in the fact that the "assembly" of the body with the glass takes place during the injection molding of the body. Thus, in addition to saving one operation, full hermetic sealing of the connection is guaranteed, unlike competing products offered on the market. The finished product – the protective glasses – is produced entirely robotized, without manual manipulations. The idea for the comprehensive development emerged on 20.03.2020 during a meeting between the Minister of Economy, Emil Karanikolov, and companies from the automotive industry, where the possibilities for producing protective equipment, including glasses and helmets, in Bulgaria were discussed. The decision to proceed was made, and from the following day, activities began for design and prototyping at the "CAD/CAM/CAE in Industry" Laboratory (3CLab) of the Technical University – Sofia, and for the development of the molds at the "3D Creative Lab" of the Association for Scientific Research and Development (ASRD) at Sofia Tech Park. The entire production capacity for implementing the assembly line for the final product was created in parallel with the design of the glasses at Arexim Engineering EAD, Smolyan. On 03.04.2020, the production line was opened in the presence of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev, and the Chairman of the National Operational Headquarters and Head of the Military Medical Academy, Major General Prof. Ventsislav Mutafchiyski, Dr. Sc. The achievement is a eloquent example of a functioning link between education, science, and business through the technological transfer of a development created by university scientists and professors and realized by engineers and specialists from the industry. The development is of exceptional importance for increasing the competitiveness of Bulgarian companies by transitioning from producing only components that are assembled into a final product abroad, to producing and marketing their own final product. The team that implemented the project on behalf of the Technical University – Sofia includes Prof. Dr. Eng. Georgi Todorov, Senior Lecturer Dr. Eng. Yavor Sofronov, Senior Lecturer Dr. Eng. Borislav Romanov, and doctoral students Eng. Todor Gavrilov and Eng. Blagovest Zlatev. The research team is in the process of finalizing their next development for technological transfer – the design and automated production process of a professional protective helmet for work in hazardous environments.