were made up of seven pieces each.
A more advanced method of mould manufacture is to take preformed glass fibre sheets, shaped or flat, and apply them with the contact mould- ing technique. After the material has been cut to size, it can be fixed much in the same manner as steel.
When finally bonded and fully rein- forced, shutters of complex and vari- ed shapes can result, with a signi- ficant reduction in costs.
Carefully designed formwork can be manufactured by D. A. Models, Ltd. for shipment to any part of the world.
M
ODERN
industrialised
SYSTEM WIRING
building
systems with their use of fac- tory-built sub-assemblies, light-weight construction and rapid site erection. have tended to throw up the short- comings of traditional wiring systems which demand a relatively high pro- portion of skilled on-site labour.
To meet the new demands Simplex Electric Co. Ltd.. Stroke-on-Trent, UK. have developed two new sys- tems, both fully re-wirable, which re- quire the minimum of work on site and match the speed of system build- ing methods.
One is a steel conduit system, pre- pared directly from the building drawings and delivered to site as a kit, cut to length, bent and screwed ready for installation, with all parts clearly marked. The conduit is avail-
The conduit can be cast into con- crete slabs, or run in cavities or plas- ter as thin as 1/2 in. It can be bent through a right angle within the thickness of a standard screed.
Conductor joints are made by pre- insulated barrel crimps, which pass easily through the bores for re-wiring. the conduit itself being jointed and sealed by a shrinkable vinyl sleeve. Associated switch-boxes are plaster-
Steel system supplied in kits
depth and incorporate earth ter- mination lugs and sliding insulated fixing lugs.
Like the steel system, the p.v.c. conduit is supplied in complete kits ready for installation.
Simplex agents in South East Asia are: China Engineers, Ltd., Hong Kong, and United Engineers (Malay- sia) Ltd.. Singapore.
VERTICAL CASTING MACHINE
able in 5% in, 4 in. and lin. sizes, A SCOTTISH company. John Lewis
and with black enamel, galvanised or patent finish.
Apart from the marked saving in time, advantages include elimination of waste and the least possible inter- ference with other trades.
The key to this system is a range of special flexible joints which over- come the problem of misalignment due to building tolerances. The joints are of woven tinned steel wire braid with interwoven copper strands to provide earth continuity. joints have great crushing strength and offer no obstruction to re-wiring.
PVC System
The
The second system, particularly suitable for use with thin cavities and shallow plasters, is a re-wirable ex- truded p.v.c. conduit with a built-in earth conductor. It is available with twin bores to carry 3x.029, 7x.029. or 7x.044 p.v.c.-sheathed cables, or with triple cores for 3x.029 cable.
Simplex flexible joint
Far East Architect & Builder August, 1966
and Sons, Ltd., Aberdeen, has developed a vertical casting machine which can be used for the rapid and accurate manufacture of precast con- crete wall units.
Little time is lost in stripping and setting-up with this machine as, with hydraulic assistance, it will produce ten units at a time. By simple ad- justment these units can be of any dimensions up to 5 ft. wide, 9 ft. high and 8 in. thick.
The operating cycle is as follows: 1. The sides of the casting "walls" are released hydraulically by the operator.
2. The separ- ating plates of the battery, to- gether with the wall units inside are pulled apart by the main hy- draulic rams.
3. When all the separating plates are apart, the wall units. the weight of which is carried on individual roll- ing pallets at the bottom of the cells, may be lift- ed out in pairs. More may be lift- ed out at one time if sufficient lifting capacity is available.
4.
When all the units have been removed, oiling and reassembling be. gins. Reassembling amounts to lowering the sides of the cells back into position, and shunting the main separating places together again. The whole assembly is then clamped up tightly by means of the hydraulic rams.
5. The machine is filled from the top. If a crane skip is used, this may take from 1 to 2 hours. By far the better method is a belt conveyor with moveable ploughs.
The makers have not yet made ar- rangements for agents or distributors in the Far East but are interested in having the machine built under licence.
Lewis casting machine
81