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| Tallest demolition excavator  Kafril & Reinwald Spezialabbruch safely and efficiently handles demolition of monumental structures for industry and others: the company is known for "Germany's tallest excavator" with its reach of 50 metres. Fitted to its boom: Atlas Copco. "Until now the tallest demolition excavator in Germany only just reached to 40 metres," explains Jens Karnahl, one of the two managing directors. Nevertheless, height alone was not the only criterion for him and his colleague, Andreas Stolle. Far more important was the horizontal reach on sites in built-up municipal areas, says Karnahl."We already knew three years ago that we wanted to find and offer a unique selling proposition," says Andreas Stolle. "In the former East Germany especially, but also throughout Europe we want to win more contracts for industrial demolitions and major building sites," is how Jens Karnahl formulates their business objective. Following two years work on organisation and selection, their vision of the tallest excavator became a reality. The key was the idea to rebuild a conventional earth-moving and stone crushing machine for demolition work. The result was an excavator with a versatile modular design that is easily transported, with even the undercarriage hydraulically movable. The outstanding feature is its three hydraulic cylinders. When working with the crusher its speed is outstanding, because a speed valve aids two cylinders in the work. If more force is needed, for instance when using the longfront boom, the third cylinder comes into action. Two 180 mm diameter bolts hold the attachments and enable rapid switching. "So we can fit the kit necessary as demolition progresses from top to bottom," stresses Jens Karnahl. For the tools he relies on Atlas Copco "because of its excellent solidity and outstanding service". For the short boom they procured the HB 7000 Dust hydraulic breaker. "Really brilliant," enthuses Karnahl. "As far as I know only a few demolition companies have the 7000 Dust. That's our advantage, and it's paying off." The HB 7000 Dust is constructed for carriers of 65 to 120 tons. With a working tool diameter of 210 mm the breaker strikes up to 450 times a minute. For the medium-sized boom, the Frankfurt-based company bought a 4.7 ton CC 4700 U CombiCutter from Atlas Copco. The cutter arm has a variable design so that it can be used both to break concrete and to cut steel or reinforcements. Whatever is needed. Work with the longest extension arm is carried out by three comparatively "light" Atlas Copco attachments: a 2.1 ton MG 2100 grapple, and two demolition crushers each of 2.5 ton service weight. As well as the attachments already mentioned, Jens Karnahl has long had a basic stock of Atlas Copco machinery on hand for his company Kafril. "We have tested many, many breakers and are extremely satisfied with Atlas Copco – both the products and their team." The tools stand out for their longevity, reliability and great endurance, in his opinion. Furthermore, Karnahl stresses, technical support is available to him at all times, which is not matched by other providers. "When we have to fit a new piston or maintain a cutter, we have always received a temporary replacement immediately." write your comments about the article :: © 2012 Construction News :: home page |