Page 53 - Demo

AAC WORLDWIDE %u2022 2.2025 PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY 53cording to the forces that the product has to absorb at the position in the building where it is installed. The consistent and reliable quality of this mesh/cage forms the basis for the stability of the product.SpacersIn addition to the meshes and/or cages, spacers (in various sizes) are required. These connect the steel meshes to each other and insert/hang the reinforcement steel into the reinforcement frames. The reinforcement frames then lower the reinforcement into a specific mould. Although these spacers can be bent and welded manually, it is usually advisable to use an automatic machine for this.Comprehensive adviceIn view of the numerous options available for producing the required reinforcement, prior consultation and discussion is essential. The Masa WhiteHub team offers comprehensive advice on this. The chosen reinforcement solution can then be provided either as a complete package or in collaboration with a renowned reinforcement manufacturer.The handling systemAfter the individual steel wires, meshes or cages have been manufactured, the steel reinforcement has to be placed in a specific mould/cake. A typical workflow would be as follows.Preparation of the individual reinforcementThe entire reinforcement for each cake is first prepared on a special mounting wagon per cake. The dimensions of the provided wagons correspond to the actual moulds.Mounting of the reinforcement partsThe reinforcement will be implemented by means of reinforcement holding frames, which will be placed on top of the mounting wagons. By using holding beams and needles, the reinforcement parts can be mounted (in most cases manually) and suspended from the holding frame. After assembly, the needles can be locked to the holding beams, thereby fixing the complete reinforcement for a cake to the holding frame.In highly advanced plants, the entire reinforcement for each cake can also be made up fully automatically. In this case, no mounting wagons are required.Preparation of the needles %u2013 needle bathThe needles that, together with the holding beams, are needed to mount the reinforcement parts on the reinforcement frame are used several times. To ensure that these needles can be retrieved from the cake with minimal effort, they must not become dirty and/or sticky. This is mainly achieved by immersing them in a bath of paraffin wax. There are two options for setting up the so-called needle bath:%u2022 %u2018free-standing%u2019, i.e. out of reach of the gantry/manipulators: this solution is generally usedfor smaller capacities. The process is manual orsemi-automatic.%u2022 under the gantry: the needle bath is integratedinto the fully automatic cycle of the reinforcement area. In this case, an automatic mechanicalcleaning/brushing system for the needles isusually also provided.Moving of the mounted partsOnce the preparation on the mounting wagon is complete, the wagon is moved under a gantry structure where one or more reinforcing manipulators carry out all other required processes. First, an (automatic) manipulator lifts the holding frame %u2013 with the complete reinforcement for a cake %u2013 from the wagon. After that, the manipulator (or manipulators) carries out all further processes to finally insert the reinforcement into an AAC cake. The empty mounting wagon is immediately moved out from under the gantry and can be used to prepare the reinforcement for another cake.Further required operations and processesAll of the following steps are handled and controlled by the reinforcement manipulators. During each work step, the manipulators always lift and move a complete reinforcement holding frame with the entire reinforcement parts for a complete cake.Step 1: Immersion of the reinforcement in a coating bath of latex paint (preferably water-based) to protect it from corrosion.Step 2: Drip off excess paint and allow to dry in so-called drip-off and waiting positionsReinforcement manipulator and area for preparing the mounting wagons (outside the working range of the automatic manipulator).