Post by Freudenberg Performance Materials

Innovative and Safe Yarn Handling Through Engineering Innovation A project team at our Arnhem, Netherlands site received great recognition for their ambitious engineering project. In the Freudenberg Group-wide WATC (We All Take Care) Awards, employees from all Freudenberg companies have the chance to present projects they initiated to improve processes or aspects of the work environment. With their project, “Innovative and Safe Yarn Handling with Magnetic Clutches”, the Arnhem team provided an engineering solution that significantly reduces operational risk, minimizes production waste, and improves efficiency. The team was awarded second place at the annual WATC Awards for their project. The project addressed a longstanding safety challenge in the Colback nonwovens production process. During the Colback lay-down process, yarn wraps can form around rotating godets operating at speeds of up to 400 m/min. Traditionally, removing these wraps required stopping an entire production section, resulting in interruptions, waste, and reduced efficiency. After conducting a safety risk analysis, the project team developed an innovative concept that combines automatic yarn wrap detection, yarn cutting technology, and a magnetic clutch. The resulting process is as follows: - When a yarn wrap is detected, sensors identify the issue. - This triggers a cutting mechanism that minimizes the yarn wrap without disturbing the lay-down pattern. - At the same time, a magnetic clutch disconnects and stops only the affected godet; the rest of the production line continues operating. - Operators can then safely remove the yarn wrap, reinstall the yarn, and restart the individual godet. This project transformed a long-standing safety problem into a scalable technical solution. It provides a safe working environment for operators, in accordance with FSS5 and Dutch RIE standards. Congratulations to everyone involved on this well-deserved recognition! Thank you for your outstanding commitment!