Concrete Products covers the issues that attract producers of ready mixed and manufactured concrete focusing on equipment and material technology, market development and management topics.
Issue link: http://concrete.epubxp.com/i/75186
INNOVATIONS EQUIPMENT & PRODUCTS BESSER EQUIPS LOWELL PRECAST FOR MONOLITHIC Ts The quality of T Pipes has risen to a new level and production has gotten a lot faster and easier at Lowell Precast in Lowell, Ind., when their 48- x 96- in. Besser Horizontal Pour T Form was put into service in this spring. Plant Owner and President Bill Austgen affirms the quality of the monolithically poured T forms as well as his customers' positive reactions to them, along with the production time savings they represent. The need to produce sanitary-grade, monolithic Ts prompted Austgen to The T is stripped from the form contact Denny Pelleymounter, his longtime Besser sales representative, to brainstorm designs for the unique form, then develop the smartest design and to translate that into a form that will withstand decades of use. The Horizontal Pour T form joins Lowell Precast's full complement of Besser flared end forms, bottom down forms and manhole forms fabricated in Boone, Iowa. Making the three-piece form simple to use was important. Features were en- gineered into the form to make setup, pouring and stripping effi- cient. Fork truck pockets on the end of the form help during han- dling, setup and stripping. Col- lapsible cores were supplied for both the pipe and T cores. Each core features a tapered end section to aid in alignment during setup. To assure proper placement of the manhole T portion of the product the T core is bolted to the pipe core. Ts with consistently high structural integrity and attractive appearances are being produced approx- imately 2.5 days faster than with their previous method. Josh Taleski Lowell, precast production technician, can set up the new three-piece form in less than 90 minutes. He takes great pride in see- ing the structurally sound T products emerge from the form after curing. The manhole core is being placed onto the pipe core assembly. Besser's Dennis "Pelley" Pelley- mounter (right) and Bill Austgen observe pouring. WWW.CONCRETEPRODUCTS.COM JULY 2012 | 75