Acotec Grande, the first automatedprefabrication line for both non-reinforced partition walls and statically reinforced concrete walls and slabs, is now ready for market introduction. In Finland, the first complete production line is already under installation. According to the manufacturer,Finnish company Acotec Ltd. based in Lahti, the new machinery significantlylowers the noise and vibration problems of traditional prefabrication lines.

Acotec Grande is the most advanced version in a range of three prefabrication lines. It can be converted from the production of statically reinforced wall elements to non load-bearing partition walls, within less than 90 minutes.
"The unique flexibility of the Grande-line makes it possible to prefabricate virtually all types of concrete wall elements for houses, high-rise buildings, sound barriers, fences, retaining walls, etc", says Vesa Tamminen, Managing Director of Acotec Ltd. in Lahti, Finland. "Due to the shorter time needed for on-site construction, the prefabrication of concrete elements typically reduces the total building costs by 25-30 per cent", he says.

Pro-environmental production
According to the manufacturer, Acotec Grande is designed to generate a minimum of noise and vibration. Compared to traditional prefabrication lines, the multi-purpose machinery is said to reduce noise levels by as much as 20-30 dB(A), enabling a normal conversation close to the production line. Also, vibration is claimed to be low enough to allow production to be carried out without disturbing people in neighbouring buildings.
The system enables production of reinforced wall panels and slabs with a thickness of up to 250 mm and a maximum length of 6.5 meters. It is based on precut and straightened rebars, which can be fed automatically or manually into the production line. The elements are reinforced with longitudinal, static rebars, which can be located on one or both sides of the product.
The company's top-of-the-line model can be operated by only two persons and offers a capacity of 80 m2 per hour. In spite of the possibility to produce many different products with the same machinery, the area requirements for a production line are only 20 x 60 meters. As the equipment is based mainly on standard components, maintainance is said to be easy and spare parts inexpensive. The machinery is designed according to EU-norms and is CE-marked./ins


For further information, please contact:
Acotec Ltd.
Mrs. Päivi Talonen
Tarmontie 6
FI-15860 Hollola 2, Finland
Tel: +358 3 780 2021, fax: +358 3 780 2895

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