Kenno Tech sandwich structure increased an elevator's capacity by a ton
KONE Plc needed a floor solution for a vehicle elevator that was optimal weight and easy to transport to the site. The sandwich structure floor designed by Kenno Tech lightened the elevator by a ton in comparison to an elevator fitted with a conventional welded floor structure.
"The most important benefit achieved with the solution is the increase in capacity, but lighter structures are also easier to transport to the site and assemble in the shaft. The original speed target for a 4-ton load was also doubled", explains Jouko Vallikari, Director of Business Development at Kenno Tech.
Due to the lighter floor structure, it was possible to design a lighter counterweight and the stress on the elevator drive assembly was decreased.
Sandwich structures are, above all, material efficient solutions
The greatest benefit of the sandwich structure varies from solution to solution: "The decades of lifespan savings attained with lighter structures are the most important aspect for some of our customers. This is the case especially with moving solutions, such as vehicles and conveyors. The other main motive for using sandwich structures is the 30-50% saving in steel. In this sense, sandwich structures are also environment friendly as the sandwich structure uses steel as efficiently as possible", Vallikari says.
Although sandwich structures are also used extensively, not all its possible applications have yet been found. Examples of solutions so far are lightweight balcony slabs, a timber drying kiln, a mobile information booth, floor elements for equipment chambers as well as process industry hatches and hoods.
Rising prices of metal raw materials and energy argue for increased use of sandwich structures. As fuel efficiency improves as the structures become lighter, the transport industry will also use more sandwich structures in the future.
For more information about Kenno Tech's solutions:
www.kennotech.fi/en.php
