10/1/2019
Fabcon Precast, based in the USA, is a manufacturer of prestressed façade panels, most of which are sandwich panels. For the plant in Kansas, the company invested in a completely new formwork system and a new type of handling system for formwork from the German manufacturer Weckenmann Anlagentechnik GmbH & Co. KG.
The main components of the formwork system are profiles with switchable magnets, with which panels up to 305 mm thick can be produced efficiently and in high quality.
The system is used on stationary production lines. Due to the long distances for personnel and material, the production process with stationary production lines offers a high potential for savings in improving the production logistics. This also includes demoulding, cleaning and oiling of formwork profiles.
Weckenmann, as an experienced specialist in the re-construction and optimisation of existing plants of precast concrete parts, was therefore given the task by Fabcon to develop a process or machine in order to rationalize the formwork handling on the existing production lines. The result was a machine with which the demoulding, cleaning and oiling of the formwork profiles can be done quickly and with only two people.
The machine is equipped with two handling cranes, a formwork cleaner/oiler and conveyor belts. The procedure is as follows: the first operator removes a formwork from the production line by means of a handling crane and places it on a conveyor belt, which conveys the formwork through the formwork cleaner/oiler. At the other end, the formwork is removed by the second operator, also with a handling crane, and immediately placed back on the production line.
The machine travels on floor-mounted tracks and works its way continuously along the production line.
As an extension, intermediate storage in a magazine located on the machine is possible.
The result of this investment as Fabcon Precast has lead to clean and oiled formwork profiles and to a massive reduction in working time.
