Production of solid and sandwich walls using advanced magnet system

The production processes of state-of-the-art precast concrete plants are faced with ever higher requirements so as to ensure the highest possible efficiency of the processes. While we see a trend towards resources-conserving and constructive solutions which include, on the one hand, practical handling but, on the other hand, can be integrated in the rest of the workflow. Exactly for these requirements, B.T. innovation GmbH based in Magdeburg has extended their in-house magnet system by the MagButterfly.

Innovative magnet for solid formwork systems

Circulation plants are becoming more and more important within the precast concrete industry. Automation of specific production processes minimizes expenditure in terms of time as well as money. If, for instance, solid walls are manufactured with the aid of a (semi-) automated circulation plant, for one thing, high forces must be applied but, for another thing, simple handling needs to be ensured in order to make the processes suitable for robots. This is the point where the idea for the MagButterfly arose, combining exactly these requirements. The adhesive force of approx. 22,000 N of the innovative magnet system is designed for heavy production processes too. Normally, this however entails another challenge in the workflow: How can a magnet being that strong be released from the formwork table after concreting?

The wings of a butterfly

The MagButterfly splits up into three magnet packages. When activating the magnet, a tailored mechanism connects these three magnet packages to form a single magnet package with an extremely high adhesive force of approx. 22,000 N. These magnets are preferably incorporated in solid formwork systems which are used in circulation plants for the production of solid and sandwich walls.

When deactivating the magnet system, the three-part design unfolds its biggest benefit. At first, the mechanical components deactivate the two outer magnet packages, the „wings“ of the MagButterfly, and subsequently the center magnet package. This reduces the release force to be applied by more than 50 %.

Hence, it is possible to release the MagButterfly from the formwok table with little effort manually or automatically. The magnet system therefore offers an enormous relief for the production staff and production processes. Such a simplification helps the precast concrete plants to make their current manufacturing processes even more efficient and more resource-conserving without the need of far-reaching adjustments of the other workflows.