Nolato MediTor’s analysis slashes water consumption

Nolato MediTor in Torekov, southern Sweden, is one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of dip-molded breathing bags. The bags are created by repeatedly lowering and lifting molds in a bath containing a liquid polymer mixture. The process also involves several aqueous baths to prepare the dip mold for the polymer bath, and afterwards during cleaning, which means that monitoring water consumption is an important aspect.

“Large quantities of process water are needed to produce and ensure the quality of the breathing bags,” comments Patrik Gavelin, Director Technology and Projects at Nolato MediTor. “It also takes a lot of energy to heat up the process water to 70 degrees in parts of the process. 

“So a few years ago we launched an operational efficiency plan, and several activities were planned for the dip mold department to boost capacity and cut costs.”

The plan included replacing old equipment, optimizing water consumption and reducing energy consumption.

“We carried out a thorough review of the process, including a flow analysis that resulted in a significant reduction in both water and energy usage. We also invested in new, larger tumble dryers and washing machines, and streamlined the use of process water, which further cut energy consumption by reducing the volume of water that needs to be heated.”

The efficiency plan cut water consumption by a total of 44 percent and energy consumption by 330,000 kilowatt hours per year.

“The next stage is to make better use of the heat produced in the vulcanization process,” comments Patrik Gavelin. “There’s great potential there for further reductions in energy use.”


Large quantities of process water are needed to produce and ensure the quality of the breathing bags.