Innovative Non-Waste-Wax-Formwork for the Fabrication of High-Precision Machine Frames made of UHPC

在德国研究基金会DFG的优先项目1542“轻质混凝土结构”中，结构设计研究所(ITE)和布伦施韦格工业大学的机床与生产技术研究所(IWF)合作开展了“无废蜡模板：基于100%可回收工业蜡的新型精密模板技术，用于制造几何复杂的混凝土构件”。通过实现该项目的目标并成功地定义了无废料蜡模板技术的技术基础，现在可以在可持续的工艺中制造几乎任何几何形式的超高性能混凝土建筑构件(超高性能混凝土)，具有可调节的表面特性、极小的曲率和锋利的边缘。在这个过程中，可以达到十分之一毫米的精度，即使在机器框架的机械工程领域也被认为是非常高的。无废石蜡模板技术的另一个优势是材料闭合循环，因此该技术不仅经济而且具有生态意义。通过回收(熔化)蜡模材料，达到生产过程中完全避免废品的目的。尤其是对于高性能材料超高性能混凝土，无废蜡模板技术不仅为建筑行业提供了机会，也为机械工程领域的新应用领域提供了机会，例如生产高精度机械框架。与两个行业合作伙伴一起，无废蜡模板技术将进一步发展为高精度超高性能混凝土机架的工业化生产工艺。因此，需要对其在工业应用中的稳健性、可行性和盈利能力进行优化。该项目的目的是显著降低超高性能混凝土机架模板的成本，特别是原型和小系列的模板成本，从而制造出更高效的模板系统和超高性能混凝土机械部件，以供市场上使用。在知识转移项目完成后，行业合作伙伴可以使用一种技术，通过关闭从规划、尺寸标注到数控控制模板施工的数字化生产链，扩展可能的形状谱，提高制造速度和精度，并显著减少人工加工工作。因此，可以扩大制造机器框架的核心业务，并在此基础上扩展许多其他机械部件，如冲模、成形工具和测量台。

Within the priority program 1542 'lightweight concrete structures' of the German Research Foundation DFG the Institute of Structural Design (ITE) and the Institute of Machine Tools and Production Technology (IWF) of the Technical University Braunschweig had worked together on the project 'Non-Waste-Wax-Formwork: novel precise formwork-technology on basis of 100% recyclable industrial wax for the fabrication of geometrically complex concrete elements'. By reaching the objectives of this project and successfully defining the technical basics for the Non-Waste-Wax-Formwork-Technology it is now possible to fabricate especially UHPC-building elements (ultra-high-performance-concrete) in nearly any geometrical form with adjustable surface properties, extremely small curvature and sharp edges in a sustainable process. In this process a precision of a tenth of a millimeter can be achieved, which even in the field of mechanical engineering for machine frames is considered very high. Another advantage of the Non-Waste-Wax-Formwork-Technology is the closed-material-loop whereby the technology is not only economically but also ecologically interesting. The total avoidance of waste products in the production process is reached by the recycling (melting down) of the wax formwork material. Particularly for the high-performance material UHPC, Non-Waste-Wax-Formwork-Technology offers the opportunity not only for the building industry but also for novel application areas in the field of mechanical engineering such as the production of high precision machine frames. Together with two industry partners, the Non-Waste-Wax-Formwork-Technology shall be developed further to an industrial production process of high-precision UHPC machine frames. Therefore it needs to be optimized regarding its robustness, feasibility and profitability within the industrial application. The aim of the project is to significantly reduce the costs for the formwork of UHPC machine frames - especially for prototypes and small series - and thus to manufacture more efficient formwork systems and UHPC machine components which can be offered on the market. After the knowledge transfer project, a technology is available to the industry partners, which extends the possible shape spectrum, increases the manufacturing speed and precision, and considerably reduces the manual processing work, by closing the digital production chain from planning, dimensioning to CNC-controlled formwork construction. As a result, the core business for the fabrication of machine frames can be enlarged and beyond this extended by numerous other machine components, e.g. press molds, forming tools and measuring stands.