Leap from traditional methods to prefabricated construction method
The principles of quality, sustainability and efficient construction are central to Gamuda‘s business. Consequently, the obvious next step for one of Malaysia‘s leading infrastructure and land developers was to invest in modern technology for the manufacture of precast concrete elements. In 2016 a new precast concrete plant with production equipment from Ebawe and Progress Maschinen & Automationen began operation near Kuala Lumpur. By opening this plant the company made the leap from traditional building methods to construction in prefabricated concrete sections, a method with a promising future.
A minimum of 1400 m2 pre-stressed concrete elements per day
Gamuda has now expanded the plant. The aim was to have a capacity of minimum 1400 m2 pre-stressed concrete elements per day. In order to achieve this aim Echo has installed 4 production beds, each 150m long and 2,4m wide and the Echo Slipformer S-Liner®.
Simultaneous production of 2 slabs with different widths
The company Gamuda has chosen the Slipformer technology because of its high flexibility. The possibility to produce 2 slabs at the same time with different widths (0,8 m and 1,20 m) stresses this flexibility and shows the latest development of Echo Precast Engineering. Gamuda can offer the pre-stressed concrete elements in thicknesses of 7cm, 9cm or 11cm.
New run-off carriage
Echo delivered a full range of equipment including new developments. A novelty is the run-off carriage with a load capacity of 30 t. This run-off carriage is used to transport the prefabricated concrete elements within the plant to the storage or to the embark point. Further machines complete the production line: the wagon for the cutting tool, lifting equipment and a semi-automatic half portal concrete supply system with concrete bucket and a multi-functional trolley that is used for the preparation of the beds. Echo Precast Engineering accompanied the whole process of planning of the production plant, installation and implementing the machinery.
Slipformer S-Liner®: heart of production
Core of the production is the Slipformer S-Liner® with its modular machine structure: height differences in the same product series can be produced by quick, problem-free changing of the tube and mould set. Changing to a completely different product can be completed even more quickly by replacing the product-related module. The automatic plotter draws either project identification data or patterns for areas that need to be cut out of the slabs. Two different sawing machines, one for fresh concrete and one multi-angle sawing machine (MAS) which is used for cured concrete cut off the areas marked by the plotter. Sawing speed is adjusted automatically by means of the electronic sawing motor power control. The multi-functional trolley is rounding up the production process as it is used to prepare the production beds.