Trade Journals for the Concrete Industry

Articles in this series about Industry 4.0 have shown how precast production facilities can draw step by step closer to the next stage of the industrial revolution. In this process, vision must always be measured against practical relevance and economic efficiency. The degree of automation is already very high in many precast production facilities. The heart of a modern production system is the formwork robot. A con- struction component hitherto drawn up in a CAD system takes shape in the most literal sense of the word at this point. The gantry robot sets down the formwork, positions it precisely and fixes it on the pallet by activating integrated magnets. But a formwork robot is capable of much more. The formwork still remains on the pallet when the concrete elements have been lifted off after a complete production run. Yet, the robot, equipped with a scanner and the necessary software, is well able to clear away the formwork from the pallet. This article describes how a formwork stripping robot functions, gives suggestions for implementing such a system and points out its limitations. The information relates to formwork-stripping robots that have been automated by Unitechnik.