Making light work of a difficult task: Bringing in machinery with a limited floor load

Large load on a sensitive floor: With this job, the nominal weight of the transported goods didn’t seem too high on first glance. The SCHOLPP team was asked to bring a 25-metric-ton machine tool into the Institute for Machine Tools (IfW) at the University of Stuttgart. However, the relatively low load capacity of the building meant that a clever solution was required for the internal transportation in order to ensure the even distribution of the load.

The IfW at the University of Stuttgart carries out research relating to the design and optimization of machine tools and machining technology. The institute had ordered a new metal cutting machining center from manufacturer Grob from Mindelheim, weighing 25 metric tons and measuring 7.0 x 3.5 meters. All of the accessories such as the chip conveyors and other attachment parts also needed to be brought into the institute. The equipment could only be brought in via a wall opening on the upper floor, however, since this was the only possible access point. A hydraulic crane was used to construct a five-meter-high platform in front of the installation opening, consisting of gantry towers, steel beams and steel plates. All of the equipment came from the SCHOLPP portfolio, and can be used again and again in new configurations – an economically efficient way of working with installation materials.

A large mobile crane (250 metric tons) then set the machinery down onto this platform. Even though the transported goods “only” weighed 25 metric tons, the spatial conditions called for a 250-metric-ton crane. But this was just the first and easiest part of the installation.

Technical transportation solution with low floor load

The lateral transport inside the building was what ultimately posed the real challenge for the team, as the hall floor had a maximum load of just one metric ton per square meter. In order to transport the machine to its intended installation position, the fitters reinforced the entire floor with twelve-meter-long steel beams and special heavy-duty slabs. The load-spreaders were positioned using the available indoor crane. This spanned the distance to the building and to the next joist, and the load was evenly distributed over the main beams and joists in the facility.

The machine was then moved within the building using chains and grippers. Not only did this call for a lot of strength, it also required precise advance planning regarding the load distribution and the individual on-site processes in order to adhere to the schedule. Every move needed to be perfect. The SCHOLPP fitters moved the machine tool to its installation position step by step and with millimeter precision. As specified in the contract, it was handed over to the researchers at the IfW Institute for Machine Tools on time, ensuring that experimental studies can continue to be carried out in the future in the area of the high-performance machining of metal materials.