AYO WX Frequently Asked Question

Charging of Li-ion battery is not a complete linear process: it is more linear at the earlier stage – Constant Current stage.

The maximum time in that stage for our battery is about 2.5 hrs from a flat battery. At the end of this phase, the battery is charged to about 80% capacity. Then it will change to Constant Voltage state for the remaining 20%, which will take about 1.5 hrs to complete. Also, for the last 5% of the capacity, it may take 30-40 minutes.

For this reason, the AYO WX battery LED will be fast-blinking once the battery has been charged up to 95% capacity. So if you see the LED is fast blinking, you can be assured it is 95% charged or almost full charge.

AYO WX Welding masks are designed to fit with most welding helmets. If you find your welding helmet can not be lowered enough when wearing an AYO WX Welding mask, firstly, ensure the forehead band is positioned on the forehead, then try to adjust the headgear to increase the distance between the lens and the face.

Often, a blower and battery can determine the life of a powered respirator.

For example, the blowers in many conventional powered respirators are DC motors with brushes that will wear out over a few years of continuous use. When that happens, the powered respirators will stop working. In contrast, the blower used in AYO WX consists of a brushless DC motor that in theory can run forever as long as the bearings are in good condition, which normally can last over 10 years. So we can say AYO WX blower can last for 10 years.

In addition, unlike some powered respirators whose battery can not be replaced, AYO WX is designed with a user-replaceable battery, and this allows you to continue using the respirator after the original battery is end of life once a new battery is replaced. So battery is not a life-limiting factor with AYO WX respirators.

Overall, with proper care, we expect AYO WX to last for 10 years.

This seemingly straightforward question is not that straightforward to answer.

It very much depends on the applications, here are the guidelines:

• First of all, it is recommended to replace the main filter every 3 months or as instructed in the Instruction Manual since you start using it, even if it may still look clean.
• If your application is dust-related, such as silica dust or wood dust, the pre-filter may block quicker than the main filter. If the dust is very dense and the work is continuous for a long duration, you may need to replace it daily or when it looks dirty or the Filter Blocked alarm is activated when taking the mask off.
• For most dust-related applications, the main filter normally can work for a couple of weeks before it is blocked. If after you change a new pre-filter the Filter Blocked alarm is still activated when taking the mask off, the main filter may need to be changed.
• For welding applications, as the welding fumes are very fine, they may penetrate the pre-filter easier than dust. As a result, the main filter may be blocked quicker than in dust applications. If the welding fumes are very dense and the work is continuous for a long duration, you may need to replace it daily or when the Filter Blocked alarm is activated when taking the mask off.

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The key difference between WX Standard and WX Welding is in the masks, where the design of the standard mask is optimized for the compactness of the overall system when worn around the head, while the welding masks are optimized for compatibility with common welding helmets.

If you use the standard masks with a common welding helmet, the helmet may interfere with the air arms of the masks and may not be fitted properly.

The welding masks have longer air arms, and these arms are also designed closer to the face, thus making them clear under a common welding helmet.

The Main Units of both systems are identical.

So if you are looking at a system for welding, use AYO WX-Welding, otherwise, use AYO WX-STD

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At Power-Off mode, the typical overall fit factor for a PortaCount fit testing is over 2000.

This high fit factor is the result of a sophisticated mask design, which was based on 3 representative human head models, achieving an adaptive soft cushion that closely matches the facial profile of up to 99.7% of human demographics, resulting in a superb fit to cover most human faces, thus providing more reliable protection and comfort than lower standard competitor masks.

The battery duration varies depending on whether the battery is fully charged, how hard your workload is, how dusty the work condition is, and whether the filter is new or blocked, etc.

For a fully charged battery with a normal workload, and in light dusty condition, it can normally last for 16 hours. This has been verified in our test lab using a breathing machine running at 20 Breaths per minute with 1.5 L tidal volume, a common test pattern used in most respirator Standards.

Some conditions to consider:

• If you do very dusty stonework, the dense dust may block the filter quicker, and if the pre-filter is not replaced in time, it may consume more battery power as the blower will try to run harder to overcome the increased filter resistance, thus reducing the battery time.
• If you do welding, the fine welding fumes may block the main filter quickly.
• If you do heavy construction work, such as tunneling, the heavy physical work will cause heavy breathing which will consume more battery power, thus reducing the battery time.
• If you use the respirator with heavy facial hair, some filtered air will leak out causing the blower to run harder to maintain positive pressure in the mask, thus reducing battery life.

Generally, the breath-responsive flow control technology used in AYO WX series PAPRs makes use of the battery energy very efficiently, this allows the WX to be more wearable due to a smaller battery compared with Constant flow PAPRs, such as 3M Versaflo, which is bulky, heavy, and less mobile to perform physically demanding work.

An AYO WX battery can normally have a 3-year service life. However, it is user-replaceable once it reaches its end of life.

Fit testing is a procedure used to determine how well a respirator “fits”—that is, whether the respirator forms a seal on the user’s face.

When a tight-fitting PAPR is fit-tested in power-on mode, as long as there is positive pressure in the mask, there will be no leak, thus it may appear the PAPR has a very good fit.

However, the issue with this practice is that it hides the bad fit or leak of the respirator such that when the air pressure drops to negative inside the mask, outside contaminants will be sucked right in.

Why can pressure in a PAPR be negative? Well, all PAPRs have their limit in producing air. Most PAPRs have a maximum flow of 200 – 220 L/min. However, when doing heavy work, such as on construction sites, if you are a big guy, the peak flow from breathing can easily exceed 250 L/min or even over 300 L/min. In this situation, a bad-fit PAPR cannot protect you well.

The negative pressure may not be present when doing the PortaCount fit testing, as the test protocol does not simulate heavy work.

The conclusion:

• Tight-fitting PAPRs need to be tested in power-off mode to indicate a worse-case fit factor.
• The power-on mode can be used to indicate a best-case fit factor.

The industry consensus on fit testing is that, Loose-fitting PAPRs don’t require fit testing, and tight-fitting PAPRs must be conducted fit testing.

But don’t draw the wrong conclusion that a loose-fitting PAPR is superior to a tight-fitting PAPR. Here is the truth:

• Loose-fitting PAPR is only a simplified/crude version of PAPR at a cost of low protection factor and high battery consumption.
• Loose-fitting PAPR only has an Applied Protection Factor (APF) of 25 while tight-fitting can be up to 1000.
• The reason why loose-fitting PAPRs don’t require fit testing is simply because of its low APF rating and it is only suitable for non-critical protection.
• If a loose-fitting PAPR goes through fit testing at Power Off mode, it will fail miserably.
• If you can accept a low APF of 25 for a given job, you can generally use a tight-fitting PAPR as a loose-fitting PAPR without having to do a fit-testing, provided the tight-fitting PAPR has a minimum peak flow capacity of 170 L/min.

Traditional PAPRs run at a constant flow or blower speed, although they often offer 2 or 3 settings.

Key issues are:

• Noisy at high flow setting.
• Heavy and bulky, often it needs to be waist-mounted by a belt with a troublesome long hose connecting to the face mask.
• Poor mobility, difficult to operate and maintain, thus their usability is quite limited.

Breath-responsive PAPRs solve these issues:

• Quieter and more energy efficient.
• Lighter and low-profile, often they can be worn on the face or around the head with no hose and belt.
• Better mobility, easier to operate and maintain.

Challenge and outlook:

• Breath-responsive technology is more advanced and technically difficult.
• It requires a very low inertia fan running at a very high speed.
• It requires high-tech motor technology, often a Brushless DC motor and Sensorless drive mechanism.
• It requires intelligent control firmware to work effectively.
• Only less than a handful of companies in the world can do it.
• The prediction: Constant Flow PAPRs will be phased out in the next 10 years, Breath-responsive PAPRs are the brighter future.

The workplace exposure standard (WES) for welding fumes has been reduced from 5mg/m3 to 1mg/m3.
What does it mean for this significant reduction?

It means that breathing in welding fumes is more of a health hazard than we thought.

Welding fumes are carcinogenic, and if welding is part of your regular work, the safest approach is to always wear the best respirator available.

Here are some of the key points for consideration:

• Welding fumes are accumulative in the lungs, try to reduce the exposure as much as practical.
• The tightened 1mg/m3 does not mean it is a safe limit, it is only a legal maximum upper limit to be taken as a starting point.
• Disposable mask is only for a temporary and less critical application, not recommended for your long-term work health related to welding fumes.
• Non-powered reusable respirators are not ideal: often filter cartridges are fitted on the front of the mask, hindering welding helmets. Besides, being a negative pressure mask, it is prone to facial leaks.
• Loose-fitting PAPR with a waist-mount power unit and a long hose to the integrated welding helmet appear as a common image of good protection gear for welding. But good welding respiratory protection doesn’t have to be bulky, heavy, troublesome, and overly expensive. Besides, being an old technology, a loose-fitting PAPR offers only 2-3 times better protection than a disposable respirator.
• In most cases, the best option is a breath-responsive tight-fitting PAPR P3, with features including low profile, high mobility, easiness of use, and affordable cost.
• PAPR P3 AYO WX-Welding is one such respirator that excels, and it is now available.

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