Third circulation system commissioned
The precast concrete plant of OJSC Zavod ZhBI-6 located in the southeast of Moscow put its third pallet circulation system of Weckenmann Anlagentechnik into operation in mid-2012. The German company based in Dormettingen has been supplying and installing plants for the precast concrete industry all over the world since 1965 and has been successfully operating on the Russian market since 2004.
At OJSC Zawod ZhBI-6 it was necessary to invest in an expansion because the capacity of the two existing plants that were supplied in 2009 and 2011 could no longer satisfy the ever-increasing demands for structural components needed for multi-story construction in the strongly growing Russian capital.
ZhBI-6 is owned by the LSR Group, one of the largest construction material manufacturers in Russia, based in St. Petersburg. The company manufactures solid floors for the Euro PA residential building system developed by LSR. Contrary to the sandwich façade design common in Russia, this system is based on load-bearing walls with a composite thermal insulation system in combination with solid floors.
Prime Minister visited production site
The great importance of this production location for the supply of construction sites in the city is shown by the fact that the then Russian Prime Minister and current President Vladimir Putin personally visited the second circulation system in 2011.
In cooperation with an experienced planning and production team of ZhBI-6, the engineers of Weckenmann successfully managed to design a plant perfectly adapted to the special requirements of the finished product despite the very limited space conditions. For this purpose, formwork pallets having a gross size of 7.7 x 2.98 m are used that are stored in a fully insulated and air-conditioned curing chamber with a total of 31 storage positions.
The plant corresponds to the circulation concept, installed by Weckenmann in Russia already several times with success, which is characterized by a clearly defined flow of work and material. In Russia, the floor slabs are mostly transported in a vertical position, requiring a pallet tilting station. Besides an automatically operating pallet cleaning and oiling system, a large-scale plotter is installed. The formwork system consists of longitudinal and transverse forms with integrated, switchable magnets and is designed of steel plates that are extra thick in order to withstand the harsh conditions prevailing in the precast factory durably.
Concrete spreader with porcupine roller discharge
Concrete is placed by means of a concrete spreader working with the well proven porcupine roller discharge. In terms of wear and maintenance this technology shows advantages over a screw discharge. After compacting with the aid of high frequency vibrators, the upper surfaces of the 160 mm thick solid floor slabs are processed with a helicopter trowelling machine so as to be ready for assembly.
The plant is designed for a pallet cycle of about 20 minutes and allows production in a three-shift operation around the clock. A mesh welding machine of EVG that is positioned across at the head of the three hall bays provides all circulation systems with individually made reinforcement wire mesh and complements the successful modernization of the long-established precast concrete factory.
This capital expenditure strengthens the market position of LSR Group in Moscow again.
