Sharp: cut protection for footwear and outerwear.

Customer project for the Rottenburg University of Applied Forest Sciences.

The name already suggests it: The Rottenburg University of Applied Forest Sciences specializes in forestry. No wonder, then, that the lecturers and students needed to be made aware of the inadequate protection of the feet during forestry work with the chainsaw. Despite the Kevlar fabric usually integrated into the shoes - the commercially available cut protection insert - there was still a high risk of injury in this critical area.

The task: reduce risk, increase comfort.

Because we are a partner of the German government's Central Innovation Program for SMEs (ZIM) and had also been recommended by the Tübingen Employer's Liability Insurance Association, we were given the opportunity to play a decisive role in solving this problem. The task was complex: On the one hand, the protective effect of the cut-resistant shoes had to be significantly increased and thus the risk of injury reduced - but on the other hand, the weight of the shoes had to be reduced and their wearing comfort increased.

Knitted fabric made of various high-modulus fibers: "alBuTex".

Over the course of two years, together with the university of applied sciences, we put various materials through their paces one after the other. In other words, after integrating each material into the shoe, we put it through its paces several times with a chainsaw on a certified test rig. After each series of tests, we further modified the knitted fabric. Over a long period of time, the results remained sobering: consistent protection, especially in the walking crease, was initially unattainable after long-term exposure.

Some time passed before one of the tested knitted inserts finally met the high requirements and the perfect blend was finally found: a special knitted fabric made of various high-strength polymer yarns, which we thermally treated after knitting. This high-modulus fiber blend is light, breathable, flexible and safe at the same time. The product was given the brand name "alBuTex".

The innovative knitted fabric has now passed the cut protection class 4 test with flying colors. But the next phase has already begun: Based on the gratifying test results, the insert is now being further developed for the outerwear of forestry workers.