Vertical option... a diagram showing the upcrete process.
The only way is up, says Ratec
01 October 2010
RATEC, along with fellow German engineering partner Reymann Technik, is marketing revolutionary new seamless production technology for the vertical production of precast concrete.
Marketed under the brand name upcrete, the technology allows for the production of well-defined precast elements – including columns, sound insulating walls, walls with structures, solid slabs, facades, solid walls and, for the first time, sandwich walls – with a smooth finish on all sides, explains a company spokesman.
“Through the help of a special pumping process – die-cast-flush-rising-concrete-system – along with the UPP pump and UCI concrete inlet, it is possible to produce smooth or textured precast concrete elements in one step,” he says.
The upcrete system, he continues, offers new possibilities in the vertical production of precast elements. Through the technology, plain precast sandwich elements in thicknesses of 60 to 450 mm can be produced in one shuttering, thanks to the expandable UBS battery system.
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Ratec’s magnet shuttering. |
He elaborates: “The battery system consists of a pair of outer forms and several inner forms. The inner forms can be driven in and out of the outer forms, similar to circulation plant technology. This flexible and expandable system allows positioning of work preparation, lift-off elements, reinforcement and demoulding, concreting and final hardening at several separate stations to optimise the complete production cycle.
“This makes it possible to produce elements efficiently. Concrete elements stay only four to five hours inside the outer form. The curing process is flexible via heating according to customer requirements. By filling the shuttering with concrete from the bottom, Ratec has turned the original concept of battery production technology on its head, because the wall’s height is not adjusted from the lower base but from the top via magnet shuttering.
“The intelligent UBS workstation system makes it possible to undertake vertical production efficiently in less space. By taking all the machine components, such as the travelling platforms, roller blocks, friction wheels and control technique into consideration, it is possible to realise the advantages of circulation technology, but with the expandable upcrete concept.
Germany’s Betonwerk Rieder is one such company which has taken advantage of Ratec’s upcrete technology to develop a new product called the R-Wall, he explains. “By using the UBS battery system, the company is producing smooth sandwich walls with windows and door recesses and a thermo-active building system,” he says, adding that the system also enables the production of precast elements in various lengths, heights and thickness.
A market leader in magnet-based shuttering, Ratec is focused on continuous expansion of its products which range from assembly magnets, steel magnetic chamfer strips, magnet box systems, shutters for double walls and filigree slabs and double-tee slabs to shuttering systems for sandwich and solid walls.
Ratec, which markets is products across the globe, has its own production facilities in Hockenheim and Clearwater (in the US) for its magnet-based components and complex shuttering systems. Ratec’s magnet shuttering system is used worldwide on flat beds, for tilting tables and circulation plants and also for battery systems.
Reymann Technik has worldwide experience in the design of production plants for the concrete industry. Its activity ranges from single services to complex turnkey production plants.
