Austria-based Doka, with its new motto ‘Setting the Pace in Formwork Technology’, will be launching its newly-developed wall formwork system – Framax Xlife at the bauma 2004 in Munich.

Doka says its new motto would spell out pace-setting dynamism not only in developing system innovations and new service offerings, but also in terms of optimising how the formwork is actually used. “All this is a natural outworking of the company’s guiding principle of helping construction industry clients to build even faster, better and more cost-effectively,” says a spokesman with Doka.
Framax Xlife will offer users significant benefits on the site, says the spokesman and adds: “The well-chosen combination of timber and a visco-plastic surfacing material has led to a completely new type of form-facing. While film-coated plywood tends to be chipped off while hammering nails on it, Framax Xlife has been made to withstand much greater stresses.
“Xlife minimises the proneness to damage of the formwork and gives it a much longer lifespan, thereby improving the quality of the concrete surface formed. Another advantage is the minimal amount of cleaning needed after pouring, as the concrete can be removed easily from Xlife’s surface, he says.
“Framax Xlife sheet is thus the ideal complement to the tried-and-tested Framax system, whose logical panel size-grid, and the comparatively low number of wall-ties that it needs, have long made it the preferred formwork system at innumerable construction sites.
“Xlife also features a new extra-large panel measuring 3.30 m by 2.40 m, which facilitates large-area forming and enables concrete surfaces of up to 3.30 m in height to be formed without horizontal joins. When the panels are vertically stacked to a height of 6.60 m, special edge-ties do away with two wall-ties on each vertical extension.
“The new Framax stripping corner I offers a novel type of help with the forming of shafts. A special stripping mechanism detaches the shaft formwork from the concrete without requiring assistance from the crane and also any great physical effort or special tools. The system also offers significant advantages as the shaft formwork can be lifted and repositioned as a complete unit, saving yet more precious hours of labour and crane time.
“As the stripping mechanism is located in the corners of the inside formwork, the formwork can be optimised by using the widest possible panels, thereby minimising the number of wall-ties and further enhancing the quality of the concrete surface. The shaft formwork can be lifted and repositioned as a complete system, saving valuable hours of labour,” he says.
“In response to the need for a versatile, ready assembled and standardised formwork units for large areas of slab, Doka has brought out its new Dokamatic table. It makes a quick and easy job of adapting to widely varying thickness of slab, and is particularly suitable for high-speed forming of edge-beams and floor-slab edges.
“Doka’s shifting appliances enable it to be repositioned very quickly, with minimum physical effort and labour. For slabs at heights of over 7.0 m, the new table can easily be combined with Staxo. The integrable platforms make it unnecessary to mount work and safety scaffolds, and provide users with a high level of safety. Swivel-heads, which can be repositioned along the entire length of the table, make for rapid adaptation to changing geometrical and structural-design requirements. In addition, the Dokamatic table can be seamlessly combined with the dependable Dokaflex 1-2-4 floor-slab range,” says the spokesman.
A further innovation in the field of floor-slab formwork is the Doka Xtra, which is a flexible manhandled formwork system with integrated ‘stripping logic’. The small number of parts – only one length of beam is needed – and the new Doka Xtra head together result in straightforward, quick-to-understand operational sequences, which greatly lessen wear-and-tear on the equipment used, he says.
A major advantage of this system is that it allows the formwork to be struck at times when the site crew is not needed for other work. Owing to the formwork-striking method, 75 per cent of the individual components can be used again sooner, which greatly helps to reduce the commissioning quantities.
Building successfully calls for the use of high-grade products that enables the contractor to accomplish construction tasks without downtime while maintaining a high standard and Doka insists on the very highest manufacturing and product quality, he says.
The new formwork beam – Doka H20 top beam – boasts a completely novel end-reinforcement, which gives it extraordinary durability and longevity. The feature absorbs all impact-stresses acting on the ends of the beam allowing every H20 top beam to last considerably longer than other timber formwork beams. The H20 beam can be used with the Dokaflex 1-2-4 and Doka Xtra floor-slab systems; the new Dokamatic table, and the wall formwork Top 50.
Doka’s further innovations for construction engineers relate to novel climbing and self-climbing technologies that unite rapid construction progress with the highest safety standards.
“Particular attention should be drawn to the new Doka climbing formwork GCS, which remains anchored to the structure at all times while being lifted by crane. This makes repositioning operations much safer, even where high wind-speeds are encountered,” advises the spokesman.
For building tunnels and other projects where there are high loads that have to be safely transferred, Doka has its Falsework SL-1, a highly economical and versatile modular system.
Doka is looking ahead to the future with optimism, and is confident that its 2,000 sq m expo pavilion at Bauma 2004 will be visited by a high-calibre trade public that will inform itself thoroughly on the advantages of Doka’s many new product developments, he adds.