PRESS RELEASE
January 22, 1997
Preview for:
Intermat, Paris
22 - 27 april 1997
Stand 4D23


First automated prefabrication lines
for statically reinforced concrete
walls and slabs

Increases in overall productivity by
up to 50 percent can now be achieved
in the construction industry. So says
Finnish Acotec Ltd, which introduces
the first automated prefabrication
lines for statically reinforced
concrete wall panels and slabs.
The advanced rebaring technology of
the new Acotec Forte and Acotec Grande
lines is said to make the panels
suitable for a wide range of load-
bearing applications in house building
and landscaping.

"The new machinery will enable our customers to prefabricate reinforced concrete panels and slabs quicker and more cost-effectively than with existing production methods. Together with our production lines for non-reinforced panels, we can now offer solutions for most wall building applications", says Vesa Tamminen, Managing Director of Acotec Ltd in Lahti, Finland.
The new reinforced panels can be used for load-bearing walls in one- and two-storeyed houses as well as for exterior walls in high rising buildings. By minimizing on-site construction time, they are said to reduce overall building costs by up to 50 percent.

Automated production
The Acotec Forte line is designed for automated production of up to 140 mm thick and up to 3.3 meter long non-reinforced or statically reinforced, hollow core or solid wall elements. Acotec Grande enables production of reinforced wall panels and load bearing slabs with a thickness of up to 250 mm and a maximum length of 6.5 meters.
The elements are reinforced with longitudinal, static rebars, which can be located on one or both sides of the product. The thickness of rebars can be between 6 - 14 mm. The system is based on precut and straightened rebars, which are fed automatically or manually to the production line. The most advanced system takes the predesigned rebars automatically from coils.
The productions lines require only two or three operators with a continuous capacity of up to 80 m2/hour. Designed for clean and compact production, they are said to have low energy consumption and generate a minimum of noise. Both machines are compliant to EU machine directives and CE-certified./ins

Caption: The Finnish company, Acotec Ltd, introduces the first automated production lines for statically reinforced concrete panels, called Acotec Forte and Acotec Grande. Designed primarily for load-bearing walls, they can also be used for fences, landscaping, sound barriers, etc.

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