Bamtec floor slab reinforcement system achieves steel savings of around 20 percent
(10/12/2009)

The Bamtec floor slab reinforcement system offers a high productivity alternative to slow and labour-intensive traditional methods of manual re-bar placement. By using a factory fabricated roll of reinforcement that is simply rolled out like a carpet, the floor slab reinforcement can be installed in a fraction of the time. More importantly, Bamtec substantially reduces the amount of steel, skilled manpower and supervision required.

Hy-Ten has announced it is heading for annual sales of 10,000 tonnes for their Bamtec floor slab reinforcement system this year, roughly equivalent to their record breaking year of 2007. This represents a real increase in market share for the Bamtec system in a sector that some commentators estimate has shrunk by 40 percent.

The only licensed manufacturer in the UK and Ireland for the Bamtec system, Hy-Ten has invested £2.2 million in the Bamtec process in recent years, including two new robotic manufacturing plants to produce the reinforcement carpets directly from the engineer’s finite element (FE) design. Hy-ten also has a large range of intermediate bar diameters, unlike any other UK supplier, allowing the company to use the most appropriate bar in each area of the floor slab. Design data is seamlessly imported into the new automated machines that precisely spot weld the bars onto retaining steel tapes to create the reinforcement carpets.

“Steel savings of around 20 percent are typical. On many projects contractors have been able to save up to one week per floor in build time. This is critical on time-sensitive contracts where bad weather, foundation complications and extended fit-out can compress the time window available for the project. There are also significant cost savings such as the reduction in the hire period required for heavy plant and cranes and the avoidance of penalty payment for late completion,” director Richard Webster explained.

Several notable projects have benefited from Bamtec technology over the past year. In Coventry, structural frame contractors UKR used Bamtec in the floors of new offices for the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to save 20 percent in steel. In Bracknell, contractors Duffy Construction made steel savings of around 48 percent in floor reinforcement at a new academy compared to the original engineer’s designs. In Reading, contractors AJ Morrisroe made steel savings of 30 percent in the floor slabs. This saving led to the continuation of the mixed use Winnerish Triangle development which would not otherwise have been considered viable. All projects were completed on time.

“There is no-doubt that tough times are causing clients, contractors and their professional advisors to look more closely at ways of reducing cost and speeding contract delivery. Bamtec floor slab reinforcement does make a significant difference in these crucial areas and this is why we are winning new business,” concluded Richard Webster.