Gulf Construction Online - Doka to display forms for the future

bauma 2007

Doka’s Universal F ... steplessly height-adjustable.

bauma 2007

Doka to display forms for the future

01 April 2007

Doka will be offering visitors to bauma 2007 in Munich a look at the future of forming - a chance to find out today about the building techniques of tomorrow!

The products on display will amply illustrate the company's guiding principle of "...helping construction firms to build even faster, better and more cost-effectively," according to a spokesman for the leading formwork specialist.
It has applied sustained long-term innovation in all areas of formwork technology, he adds.
Elaborating on some of the company's latest products, he says: "Dokaset wall formwork, for multi-storey residential construction, scores for its ease and speed of handling. Because it needs only a very small number of through-ties - all located in just one tie-layer in the concrete - and can be operated from ground level, Dokaset slashes forming-times. Its new, adjustable form-ties can quickly be fitted by just one man working from one side of the formwork. Safety components such as a ladder system, pouring platforms and all safety railings are completely integrated in this new framed formwork system. The units arrive at the site pre-assembled and folded closed, and are readied for operation in just a few simple steps. Being hot-dip galvanised both inside and out, their frames help give Dokaset its extra-long service life, as does its plastic-coated Xlife sheet. Dokaset's practical stacking facility, and the new corner solution integrated in the Dokaset system give it great versatility in practice.
"The proven supporting construction frame Universal F is now steplessly height-adjustable, for example, for top-cover underground construction projects. A new attachable frame, with pre-mounted stacking plates, allows a maximum pour height of 12.80 m. Even units as tall as these can be horizontally repositioned with no need for a crane: Either on rails with the aid of flanged wheels, or directly on the concrete with either a crawler drive or the new attachable rollers. A novel design of spindle with an articulated baseplate makes it easier to accommodate any unevenness or gradients in the ground. With its extended range of safety accessories, the Universal F features safe vertical access systems and platform solutions for every height.
"The 120 cm wide Framax universal panel is now also available in a 3.30 m panel height. The special hole-grid makes the Universal panels ideal for cost-saving forming of outside corners, wall junctions, stop-ends and column formworks."
Meanwhile, the newly-developed Table Lifting System TLS helps sites to form floor-slabs even more efficiently, he says. This innovative hoisting appliance is used for safe, craneless lifting of Doka tableforms to the next storey - at a speed of 10 m/min. The brackets integrated in the system make it possible to assemble climbing table-lifting units with a hoisting height of 10.0 m. These TLS climbing units can be crane-lifted to other positions on the site at any time. Alternatively, the TLS can be stood on a base slab, permitting lifting-heights of up to 40 m.
"The TLS opens up some interesting new possibilities for users in terms of preliminary calculation and site planning. The reason is that the system frees up crane time, which can help to speed up the construction workflow elsewhere. Horizontal repositioning of the tableforms is carried out by just one man working on his own, also with no need for a crane, using the field-proven attachable drive unit and shifting trolley," the spokesman points out.
Among other developments, the new Doka High-Rise System is a universal, low-cost climbing system specifically designed for high-rise construction. "It overcomes variations in the storey heights with no need for any modifications to the climbing scaffolds, and can be "climbed" either by crane or hydraulically. It is attached to the structure at either walls or floor-slabs, as required. This means that users can utilise this climbing system with both framed and timber-beam formworks for exterior façades, punctuated facades and high-rise cores, or even as a protection screen to shelter the crew from the wind and weather," he explains. "To speed up handling of the equipment, a wheeling-out platform can easily be integrated. As well as streamlining planning and handling, the high degree of pre-assembly facilitates logistics and on-site assembly. The climbing scaffolds are continuously structure-guided, enabling lifting and resetting to take place in any weather and ensuring a high level of safety in all phases of the work. The wide platforms give the site crew plenty of room to move in. What is more, the Doka High-Rise System makes it easier to construct all-round enclosures, affording protection from all weathers."
"Nowadays, building successfully necessitates using innovative products that enable the contractor to accomplish the construction tasks without downtimes and to a high standard. Doka insists on the very highest manufacturing and product quality, coupled with a carefully tailored package of service offerings," the spokesman comments.
The Austria-headquartered formwork experts take a bright view of the future and is confident that its 3,000-plus sq m expo pavilion at bauma 2007 will be visited by a high-calibre trade public that will inform itself thoroughly on the advantages of Doka's numerous product innovations.