Pennine Weavers

Keighley-based Pennine Weavers weave top quality cloth which goes into producing high quality suits, coats and other clothing products for many of the world's top brands. In June 2011 Jack Hooper, a Mechanical Engineering International Corporate Leadership Programme (ICLP) student, began a 12 week placement at the company with the aim of solving a specific business problem.

The problem

Pennine Weavers operates 32 modern German-made Dornier looms to produce high quality woven cloth. The clutch brake on each loom is subject to an essential maintenance programme at least every 12 months which involves the removal of a 54kg flywheel. Removing the flywheels poses several problems for staff because it involves raising and lowering the loom motor, a tricky process which takes place within a very confined space. Finding a new way to carry out this task has become even more important from a health and safety perspective, after a technician was hurt trying to carry out the maintenance.

Therefore, the aim of the project was to design and make a tool which could be used to both remove and replace this flywheel within the available space. This would ease and speed up the maintenance process, reduce losses due to lost productivity, and make the procedure safer.

The solution

Jack was tasked with identifying the most appropriate method to remove the flywheels, designing and implementing a new tool to complete the task.  He began by working with the technicians to learn more about the weaving process and how the looms work, including the clutch maintenance process. He gathered information on the practical issues they faced, and then used this to break down the brief into an overall aim and a set of more specific objectives.

Jack carried out detailed strength and buckling calculations and came up with a design which tackled each aspect of the problem. A prototype was built, tested and then modified to ensure maximum ease of use.

The final product was a durable and fully maneuverable crane which can easily be wheeled into the confined space and operated safely by staff.

Results

The final design improved the process of clutch maintenance and met all the objectives of the project. The tool eases two of the most arduous physical tasks of maintaining the looms - raising and lowering the motor and removing and replacing the flywheel. The project has removed the danger of injury and increased productivity by reducing the time it takes to carry out maintenance.

Gary Eastwood, Director at Pennine Weavers, was very happy with the quality of the work carried out:

"Jack both designed and built the tool for removing the flywheel from the loom to a very high standard and his attention to detail was excellent.  His success is exemplified by the fact we are now in talks with machinery agents who believe there is a commercial market for the tool with other manufacturers. That is a great tribute to the quality of the work Jack did for the company."

Feedback from the technicians using the crane was also very positive. Staff said they feel safe using it and are confident it will make this small, difficult aspect of their work much easier.

Jack felt he gained a great deal from the experience and commented:

"I wanted to get involved in a real project which required a practical solution, ideally involving design and build. The project at Pennine Weavers was just what I was looking for. I not only learnt a lot about very practical engineering but also gained a lot of confidence in my ability to devise a solution which worked - and to stick to my guns when I was sure what I was proposing was best for the company! It was a terrific experience for me."

For further information about ICLP or student placements please contact Derek Hurren 0113 343 2148 or d.g.hurren@leeds.ac.uk