US showcase

Taking place in Las Vegas in mid-January, World of Concrete is a firm fixture on the calendar of events for the North American construction industry. The event is more than just an exhibition, with an extensive programme of seminars, and various other attractions and events such as the ‘Bricklayer 500’ competition, which certainly liven up proceedings.

But it is a professional event above all else, and being the first major exhibition of the year World of Concrete is a great place for new equipment launches. This of course is particularly true for machines, equipment and other products aimed specifically at the concrete production and construction industries.

New equipment

ICS will be launching a new version of the 633GC, the most powerful petrol-powered saw in its range. Able to cut concrete to a depth 16 inches (400 mm), the saw is powered by a 101 cc, 6.5 hp (4.85 kW), 2-stroke petrol engine. It has an advanced, rear port air intake and filtration system designed for wet-cutting aggregate materials, a newly designed ignition system, starter system and improved crankcase protection.

New from Laser-Grader is the 106-6WD, available with an automated grade control package using a Trimble grade control system. This helps the 1.5 tonne diesel powered machine achieve accuracies up to +/- 4 mm. Despite its compact dimensions - 5 foot (1.52 m) width and 9 foot (2.74 m) turning circle, the machine can grade over 50000 square feet (4650 m²) per day.

Making its World of Concrete debut will be Ditch Witch’s new XT1600 mini excavator-tool carrier. Equipped with a 59 hp (44 kW) diesel engine, the 4.3 tonne machine offers a 260° excavator sweep that enables the operator to dig in multiple positions in confined places, including offset digging along walls, fences, and buildings. With 30 hp (22 kW) to the attachment and a quick coupler the XT1600 can perform a range of general construction, utility installation, road work, materials handling, demolition tasks, and landscaping.

A new modular mast and accessory system for use with all Schwing separate placing boom sizes will be launched at World of Concrete. The system features easily portable 6 m long mast sections that can be bolted together for a boom as long as 39 m. The modular system also allows rapid changes on site should a different boom length be required. The system can be used in free-standing, self-climbing and non-climbing slab-supported applications.

Chinese manufacturer Sany Heavy Industries will be at World of Concrete with a display of concrete boom and trailer pumps, graders and excavators. It is its concrete pumps that Sany is best known for in its home market, and these will be the main feature of its booth, with 37, 45 and 48 m booms on display beside two trailer pumps.

Power Curbers will be launching an updated version of one of its most popular machines slipformers. The 5700-C curb & gutter machine incorporates a host of new features including the option for right-side pouring, a new swivel chute for one-lane working, higher fuel and water capacities, a choice of electronic or analogue control systems, a higher operators’ station for better visibility and several features to make maintenance and servicing easier.

Sister company Power Pavers will be exhibiting the SF-2700, capable of slipforming roads up to 9.76 m wide. The SF-2700 can also simultaneously cast integral curbs on one or both sides.

Godwin’s stand will feature its Sub-Prime electric submersible pumps, which are now available worldwide. They are available in 0.5 to 90 hp (0.4 kW to 62 kW) versions with flows to 5000 gallons per minute (1.14 m³/hour), heads to 375 feet (114 m) and solids handling to 3.2 inches (81 mm in diameter).

Allied-Gator will be showing products from its Multi Tool (NT) range. Available in sizes from 700 to 52000 lbs (0.3 to 23.6 tonnes), the units are designed for shearing, cracking and crushing applications, a variety of work that is made possible by pin-on, interchangeable jaw sets.

Forming systems

Doka USA will be introducing a new deck form transport system for high-rise construction projects. According to the company, the as-yet unnamed system will provide substantial savings when moving formwork between floors during the construction of tall buildings.

Also on display will be various innovations designed to improve safety, such Doka’s Windshield system. This offers protection from high winds and safe working conditions by enclosing the building façade and safeguarding slab-edges on several floors at a time. It also effectively rules out weather-related downtime, and is currently being used on construction of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Dubai tower in Dubai, UAE.

The Peri stand will feature two concrete forming systems new to the US market. The Rail Climbing System (RCS) is a climbing formwork system designed with particular attention to safety and edge protection. The Skytable system is a large aluminium truss table system for forming slabs.

MevaLite is a new light-weight panel formwork system from Meva based around an aluminium framework. Despite its low mass, MevaLite incorporates many of the features associated with heavier systems. These include a high load capacity, fast clamp connections, a wide choice of panel sizes and ease of assembly. As with other Meva systems, the panels are faced in its durable plastic composite material, which is long-lasting and easy to repair.

Amvic will be showing its new AmDeck modular floor and roof system for use with insulated concrete form systems as well as other wall systems. A key feature is the built-in 10 inch (260 mm) deep lightweight steel joists, which support construction loads. This means fewer props are need to support the forms during construction -the company says the shoring requirement is four times less than competing products.

Mixing & ready-mix

Terex will be launching the R1600 mobile silo for the ready mix industry. Built to roughly the same size and specifications as the Rustler R3, the new R1600 silo matches up to the R3, offering an additional 1600 ft³ (45.3 m³) capacity. This increases its capacity to hold cement and other powders such as fly ash or ground slag.

The optional self-erect system enables the silo to be set up without a crane to be ready within 30 minutes. Optional 12 by 3 ft (3.7 by 0.9 m) steel pads eliminate the need to pour concrete foundations for the silo and pay for themselves after only a couple of plant moves. The mobile R1600 silo is shipped from the Terex Roadbuilding factory pre-wired, plumbed and ready for operation.

Cart-Away Universal Batching Equipment (CUBE) will be showing its 1.5 cubic yard (1.15 m³) self-contained concrete mixer, which is capable of producing 6 to 8 cubic yards (4.6 to 6.1 m³) of concrete per hour. The loading, mixing and dispensing of the concrete materials are all completed inside the unit’s steel frame, reducing the amount of equipment on site, and the company says the CUBE is ideal for situations where ready-mix is needed for several projects over an extended period of time.

Technology

Mapei will be launching its Mapelastic Smart waterproofing and concrete protection paint-on cementitious membrane. The two-component is designed for jobs such as waterproofing and protecting concrete foundations, retaining walls, fountains, pools and balconies on residential and commercial schemes. The company will also be launching Mapeprime 1K epoxy primer, which is designed for use when covering non-absorbent and difficult-to- bond-to materials such as ceramic tiles, wood floors and concrete surfaces, as well as cement- and epoxy-based terrazzo.

Versatile Building Products will be showing a variety of new materials including the Polyurea 5000 floor sealer. This urethane product provides a tough, durable high gloss finish. It also has a very mild odour during application, which can be important on an increasing number of jobs. Other products on display form the company will include other sealers, its Roll On Rock epoxy chip coating system, which can be applied direct without a basecoat and the Versa-crete stamp overlay system.

CTS Cement’s Rapid Set Cement All is a new concrete repair material designed for durability against repetitive loading, chemical attack, permeability, freeze/thaw, abrasion resistance, and shrinkage. Hardening to 3000 psi (20.7 MPa) in an, it allows the structure to be returned to use quickly and provides permanent and crack-free repairs Applications include repair of highways and bridges, airport pavements, parking structures, concrete pavements, industrial floors, new slab construction, formed concrete work, and grouting.

Saint-Gobain will be launching its new Smart Dispenser, for adding glass fibres to concrete. These alkali-resistant fibres are now widely used for the secondary reinforcement of concrete, and are used to prevent thermal shrinkage and cracking. The Smart Dispenser’s features include full automation for ease of use and verification of the mix. It is quick and easy to install and requires little maintenance.

Focus of attention on the WinEstimator stand will be the company’s Building Information Modeling (BIM) software. Rather than just showing a 3D view of a finished building, this allows the project team to produce 3D views of the construction phase and model the project in the order it will be built. This allows them to view and resolve problem areas long before work starts on site, helping to prevent delays.

New from MicroLogic will be the CELogic 6500 construction machine tracking and monitoring system, and the ServiceLogic 2000 fleet management system. Both use GPS positioning and satellite (CELogic 6500) or cellular phone (ServiceLogic 2000) data communications technology to transmit key data from equipment to the user’s desktop computer.

Both can be used to transmit information such as engine hours, fuel levels and voltages. GPS Positioning information can be used to set up virtual ‘fences’, helping to prevent theft or unauthorised use by alerting the owner if a machine cross a border such as a site boundary.

RMI will be showing the new 4.0 SP1version of its Advantage software for the rental industry. New features include web-based access for employees and local functions related to the location of the rental outlet (tax codes, languages, etc.) for all of the US, Canada and Mexico. Financial management reporting has also been updated to include reports for the fiscal year balance, previous year balance comparison and trial balance by period. The rental management side of the software has also been improved to allow a in-depth analysis of revenue and costs.

Visit

With such a variety of new products, equipment and services on show, World of Concrete promises, yet again, to be a key event for the North American market.

For more information, visit www.worldofconcrete.com