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Foundation formwork made simple

40 years ago in 1981, MEVA caused a sensation with a new aluminium formwork system. Christened "Alu-Wand + Decke" ("Alu Wall + Slab"), the novelty combined unusually low weight with nonetheless high stability. After various refinements in the early 1990s, the universal hand-set formwork was given the name it has kept to this day: AluFix. Consisting of only a few standard components, the system simplifies operations on site while shortening assembly times. Even today, these merits are greatly appreciated by builders working on residential, commercial, refurbishment, infrastructure, garden architecture and landscaping contracts.

Since its introduction, AluFix has been progressively optimised and carefully adapted in line with customers' requirements. One striking feature of the freshly launched new generation is the colour of the high-grade powder-coated finish. To make it more easily distinguishable from AluStar and other systems, AluFix is now supplied in RAL 7023 "concrete grey". One key technical innovation, however, only reveals itself on closer inspection: all 90 and 75 cm wide panels, whatever the height (350, 300, 270, 250, 150 or 135 cm), are provided with additional internal tie holes set back from the edge by around 20 cm.

These are particularly useful for casting foundations. Users require less material to fix the formwork panels, which in turn reduces the work effort. Ties, plastic tubes and articulated flange nuts, all readily available on site, can be quickly assembled in the usual way without any obstruction by the metal waterstops and without any need for foundation tape, trolleys or tensioners. As AluFix is easy to set up with MEVA brace brackets, e.g. SK 80, it is permanently ready for use. No tools or materials are required to saw boards to size or place wooden stakes.

Fewer parts – greater cost-effectiveness

The best components on a building site are those that are not needed in the first place. For the simple reason that they do not have to be purchased, transported, hunted down, installed, cleaned or replaced if lost or damaged. This equally applies to the above-mentioned foundation formwork ancillaries. Here too, AluFix scores impressively, above all in relation to plastics formwork. As a comparison for a specimen floorplan with a 26 m perimeter and 2.70 m formwork height shows, AluFix requires far fewer panels, assembly locks, ledgers, flange nuts, tie rods, alignment rails and stop-end brackets than a standard plastics formwork system: in all, only 611 parts instead of 1,311.



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