Reinforcement production made sustainable with automation and software
You have to know what is traditional to implement what is up to date. In line with this motto, GP Wapening is now expanding its machine pool from reinforcement production lines purchased second-hand to a new high output mesh welding line and special bending solution for cage production, as well as a complete software solution package for rebar shops – all from Progress. Construction sites will hardly be supplied at all, as the focus is on the special needs of precast production facilities in the Netherlands. In Holland, it is quite common for reinforcements to be supplied by specialised rebar shops. This means it is important to remain innovative in order to keep up.
Founded in 2017, the young rebar shop acquired a new M-System PowerMesh mesh welding plant in 2022 from Progress Maschinen & Automation as well as advanced software solutions for production planning from Progress Software Development – both companies of the Progress Group. Yet, it is not just new machines that ensure high quality and adherence to delivery times. GP Wapening also works with machines that have been purchased second-hand: an MSR straightening, cutting and bending machine from 1999 and two EBA automatic stirrup benders from the late 2000s, which have also been doing a good job for some years. Their thinking is sustainable and functional automated machines are still used because they still work well.
The decision to invest in the M-System Power Mesh was based on the fact, that the machine could deliver the most production amount in square metres per machine area. It was also a question of generating the greatest volume of output with high quality and little waste. Especially when current steel prices are taken into consideration, production from a coil, as is standard with all Progress machines, is the more sustainable solution because it minimises waste. The M-System PowerMesh with 20 welding heads is the ideal solution for generating high output with special curved cages. It boasts a sophisticated bending solution featuring a combination of single and side benders for positioning mesh elements and then mounting a corresponding 2D top mesh on top. The maximum is 4 tonnes per hour. The system works in three shifts, two during the day when cages are produced and a night shift when it is the turn of flat meshes and more simple curved cages. Cages and meshes for solid walls can be manufactured, some with recesses, but also balcony cages and the like for supports in the range of 6 to 16 mm wire diameter.