The new generation in magnet and shuttering technology
In 2002, the Magdeburg-based company B.T. innovation GmbH had patented a positioning tool for magnetic clamps. This refers to base system coupled with springs used to avoid the immediate activation of the holding power when a magnet is placed on a tilting table, a circulation pallet or any other magnetic shuttering surface but leaving a small air gap in the first instance.
Thus, the magnet can be precisely aligned quite easily and afterwards being activated with a slight pressure so that it may develop its full holding power then. Thanks to this simple but very useful idea the MagFly® magnetic clamps advanced within a very short time to one of the most successful magnet systems in the precast concrete industry. In combination with the shuttering carrier system MultiForm® they replaced the conventional shuttering construction with wood and chip boards used in many stationary production lines and the fastening systems of the same by means of conventional magnets. However, also in circulating systems with flexible manufacturing programs and permanently varying element thicknesses, as for example in case of solid and sandwich walls, the system of B.T. innovation is considered to be a real alternative to heavy steel shuttering systems.
Therefore, it was a real challenge to further develop and enhance the system even more. “But we were already known for the fact to made a good solution even better,” commented Felix von Limburg, Managing Director of B.T. innovation, his ambitions. “Employers‘ Liability Insurance Associations with their legitimate interest in safety at work and the protection of health, on the one hand, and the steadily rising cost pressure that precast concrete plant operators and plant managers are faced with, on the other hand, gave reason to think about a way of how to reduce the weights any further in a manner that does not dispense with the other advantages or make any other compromise concerning the characteristics.”
Recently, the Magdeburg-based company presented the new MagFly AP magnet officially, after it had been thoroughly checked at some test costumers. The design is significantly different compared with the precious model. The latest development is furnished with a casing made of aluminum being at the same time designed as an integrated adapter for the shuttering carrier. The technical details are also worth mentioning: If the new MagFly AP is compared to the old MagFly 1600, the best-selling magnet of the MagFly® series, the optimization of the magnetic material and the proportion of steel used allowed to reduce the weight of the new magnet by about half of the old one and simultaneously increasing the holding power by more than 20 percent. It goes without saying that the new MagFly AP still features the proven functions, such as for example the patented MagFly base system coupled with springs for precise positioning or the integrated cam lever for loosening the magnet without tools. The testimonials of the testing customers were likewise positive: “Due to the enormous reduction in weight the workers are now able to take two to four magnets at the same time instead of one to two so far. It is already clearly noticeable that everything runs easier and quicker,” read the contents of their responses unanimously.
When presenting the new MagFly AP magnet, the Magdeburg-based company introduced the new shuttering carrier system FlyFrame® too. This is the respective further development of the MultiForm®. The new system is an ultralight but nevertheless extremely sturdy shuttering carrier made of hardened and especially coated aluminum. The shuttering panel consisting of wood or chip boards may be screwed on at the back so as to have a shuttering surface free of any damages or screw heads. Wide openings on the back side of the FlyFrame allow to fix also heavy mounting parts at the back.
In order to meet the requirements concerning low weight and the relating ease of handling, the magnetic clamps and shuttering carriers are not firmly fixed with each other or even screwed together. The magnets are simply connected to the shuttering carrier at the back as and when required. Along with the magnet, the shuttering may be precisely aligned before it is definitively fixed by pressing the MagFly magnet down. For this reason, the system remains easy to handle, very flexible and extremely economical.
The engineers working in the development department at B.T. innovation have, of course, taken into account that the systems are compatible with each other. Thus, it is possible to combine MagFly AP with MultiForm.
