Case Study: Future Form Enhances Worker Safety and Efficiency with AYO WX Loose-Fitting PAPR Systems

by admin | Apr 15, 2025 | Industrial Protection Blog, Industrial PAPR Case Study

Case Study: Future Form Enhances Worker Safety and Efficiency with Aimwell™ AYO™ WX Loose-Fitting PAPR Systems

Eliminating Silica Dust Risks in Construction Without Compromise

Overview

Future Form, a leading formwork and concrete construction company, faced significant challenges protecting its workforce from silica dust—a pervasive hazard in their industry. Traditional solutions like disposable paper masks and non-powered respirators proved inadequate due to fit testing requirements, worker discomfort, and logistical inefficiencies. After adopting the Aimwell™ AYO™ WX FFM-LF Loose-Fitting Full-Face PAPR System, Future Form transformed its safety protocols, achieving compliance, cost savings, and worker satisfaction.
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Challenges: Why Traditional Respirators Fell Short

1. Bearded Workers: Many employees wore facial hair, making tight-seal respirators ineffective and forcing costly, uncomfortable shaving mandates.
2. High Contractor Turnover: Frequent onboarding of new contractors required repeated fit testing, delaying projects and increasing expenses.
3. Mobility Constraints: Belt-mounted PAPRs or hose systems hindered workers carrying tools or navigating confined spaces.
4. Cost Barriers: Competitor PAPR systems (e.g., 3M Versaflo) were prohibitively expensive for widespread deployment.
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The Solution: Aimwell™ AYO™ WX FFM-LF Loose-Fitting PAPR System

Future Form chose the Aimwell™ AYO™ WX for its unique combination of innovation, practicality, and affordability:

No Hose, No Belt-Mounted Unit: The lightweight, around-neck design eliminates tripping hazards and frees workers’ waists for tool belts, critical in dynamic job sites.
Loose-Fitting, No Fit Testing Required: Powered by positive pressure and breath-responsive flow control technology (200+ L/min airflow), it ensures protection without a tight seal—ideal for bearded workers and fast-paced teams.
Easy to Don/Doff: Perfect for confined spaces or quick adjustments, enhancing productivity.
Cost-Effective Safety: Priced for scalability, enabling Future Form to equip every worker without sacrificing budget.
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Results: Safety Meets Efficiency

• Eliminated Fit Testing: Saved 8+ hours monthly in administrative tasks and testing costs.
• 100% Compliance: Bearded workers and new contractors now have immediate, reliable protection.
• Increased Productivity: Workers reported less fatigue and unrestricted movement, even in tight spaces.
• Worker Satisfaction: Employees praised the comfort and ease of use, with one contractor noting,
“It’s the first mask I can wear all day without itching to take it off.”
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Results: Safety Meets Efficiency

• Eliminated Fit Testing: Saved 8+ hours monthly in administrative tasks and testing costs.
• 100% Compliance: Bearded workers and new contractors now have immediate, reliable protection.
• Increased Productivity: Workers reported less fatigue and unrestricted movement, even in tight spaces.
• Worker Satisfaction: Employees praised the comfort and ease of use, with one contractor noting, “It’s the first mask I can wear all day without itching to take it off.”
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Why Aimwell™ AYO™ WX FFM-LF is Ideal for Construction Companies

The Aimwell™ AYO™ WX addresses universal pain points in construction:
• High Turnover? Skip fit testing and onboard workers instantly.
• Diverse Workforce? Accommodate beards and facial hair without compromise.
• Mobility-Critical Tasks? The around-neck design ensures unrestricted movement.
• Budget Constraints? Achieve enterprise-grade protection at half the cost of traditional PAPRs.
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In Their Words

“The Aimwell™ AYO™ WX changed the game for us. Fit testing is obsolete, and our workers no longer have to choose between safety and comfort.

The cost savings alone justified the switch—but seeing our team embrace the system without complaint? That’s priceless.”

Greg Rogers

WHSE Manager , Future Form

Conclusion: Protect Your Team Like Future Form

For construction companies battling silica dust, the Aimwell™ AYO™ WX FFM-LF delivers unmatched flexibility, compliance, and value.

Say goodbye to fit testing, mobility issues, and costly alternatives.

Ready to Transform Your Safety Program?

Contact us today to learn how the Aimwell™ AYO™ WX can safeguard your team—beards, confined spaces, and tight budgets included.
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AYO™ WX: Breathe Easy. Work Better.

Download Future Form case study pdf format

Case Study – Running Cost Comparison Between a NAPR and an AYO WX HFM PAPR

by admin | Dec 6, 2023 | Industrial Protection Blog, Industrial PAPR Case Study

From a performance standpoint, an elastomeric non-powered air purifying respirator (NAPR) can achieve a better seal than a N95 disposable paper mask thus achieving better protection. In addition, its filter cartridge can be protected from breath and can be designed with a higher dust-loading capacity, therefore, can last longer.

Another important point of a NAPR is that it is reusable, more cost-saving in the long run, and more environmentally friendly. Thus, it is not surprising that NAPR’s market share is on the rise.

However, when it comes to powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs), especially tight-fitting PAPRs, apart from being elastomeric, they offer better protection by design, as the pressure inside the breathing zone is positive, and they are also more comfortable to breathe.

Research shows that the NAPRs market size was over USD 9.5 billion in 2022, compared with USD 2.4 billion for PAPRs. Assuming an average NAPR is USD 50, and an average PAPR is USD 1000, which is roughly about right, this suggests a ratio of 79:1, meaning for 79 NAPR users, there is only one PAPR user. So there is more room for PAPRs to grow.

In fact, the industry trend is heading for more workers to move up from NAPRs toward PAPRs for better protection. For example, in Australia, the exposure limit for welding fumes is reduced from 5mg/m³ to 1mg/m³, and this almost certainly will demand the use of PAPRs in many welding sites.

However, most PAPRs are much more expensive than NAPRs, and they are also bulky, heavy, and troublesome to use and maintain, and these are the key inhibitors of their adoption. Therefore, it is easy to comprehend that there are more users of NAPRs than PAPRs.

To allow widespread workers to be able to take advantage of the improved protection from PAPR technology, Aimwell invented, designed, and optimized AYO WX HFM Half-Face Mask PAPR System, and we believe it can not only significantly enhance respiratory protection, but can also cost less within 12 months of use compared with typical NAPRs when doing daily dusty work, such as stonework.

Here is our case study:

Target NAPR: 3M 6200 with 2135 P2/P3 particular filter.

Comparing PAPR: AYO WX HFM Half-Face Mask PAPR System with pleated pre-filter and PAPR P3 HEPA filter.

Target application: Stonework
Estimated Filter replacement:

3M 2135 P2/P3 filter: every 5 days
AYO WX Pleated pre-filter: every 2 days.
AYO WX Main filter: every 20 days.

Result:

Analysis:

At initial purchase, the 3M 6200/2135 system costs $70 versus $559 of AYO WX HFM PAPR.
Due to the design of 2135 particle filter, there is no pre-filter that can be replaced cheaply. As a result, every 5 working days, the whole pair of filters need to be replaced.
In contrary, AYO WX HFM PAPR has a unique low-cost pleated pre-filter that can capture larger particles with reasonable dust-loading capacity and protect the HEPA filter. As a result, the HEPA filter can last longer while the pleated prefilter can be changed often at a very low cost.
At 12 months of use, the total cost of use for AYO WX HFM PAPR is $1,163 versus $1,245 for the 3M 6200/2135 system.

Other Considerations

The above comparison is based on the RRP for one AYO WX HFM Half-face Mask PAPR System. For large organizations with higher order quantity, the unit price will be lower than the RRP, thus the ‘breakeven’ time will be shorter accordingly.
Being a PAPR, AYO WX HFM PAPR is more comfortable to breathe, especially for long working hours.
Being a PAPR, AYO WX HFM can tolerate some facial leaks, but being a NAPR, the protection of 3M 6200/2135 is highly sensitive to facial leaks.
A non-clean-shaven person shall not use a NAPR. However, a person with a short beard may use AYO WX HFM PAPR and still achieve good protection even better than most loose-fitting PAPRs.
With patented technology, AYO WX HFM PAPR achieves a great wearability similar to common NAPRs. This is dramatically different from most common PAPRs which are bulky and heavy, with poor mobility.

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For daily work in highly dusty environments, AYO WX HFM Half-Face Mask PAPR System can not only provide better and more reliable protection than a typical NAPR but also costs less after using for 1 year, in addition to being more comfortable to breathe, making AYO WX HFM PAPR a perfect upgrade from common NAPRs for many industrial respiratory protection applications.