ATF invests in a new manhole machine with universal handling

 At ATF in Leopoldshagen, the Tornado manhole machine is demonstrating that quality, quantity and flexibility can be combined in one machine concept. The company is convinced the new machine, together with its well-trained and motivated team, is well equipped for the future and will be able to meet the demands of the market and its loyal customers for years to come. ATF GmbH (wastewater technology, terrazzo and precast elements) with its headquarters in Leopoldshagen, located in the beautiful countryside of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In the extreme north-east of Germany, directly on the Szczecin Lagoon, ATF produces precast concrete elements. ATF is one of the largest employers in the region. The economically independent company supplies dealers and companies with wastewater systems and precast concrete elements. The delivery area extends from Rügen to southern Berlin, whereby ATF is particularly characterised by diversity, flexibility and fast reaction times on the market. In order to be prepared for the future, investments were made in a new production plant for manhole components. ATF decided to use the Tornado machine from Prinzing Pfeiffer. In addition to the quality of the machine, ATF also attaches great importance to the experience and tradition of the engineering company. Furthermore, the system offers efficient cycle and product changeover times for the manufacture of the different product types. The product range of the new production plant currently includes manhole rings, manhole cones and compensation rings. Tornado production plant The Tornado from Prinzing Pfeiffer is still a bestseller. The simple yet robust design has been convincing customers in many countries around the world for over 40 years. The main components of the machine have been fundamentally retained over the years and have been further developed with efficient solutions in production and maintenance. The machine is open on three sides and allows many options for attachments and automated handling components, such as base pallet insertion robot, manhole step magazine, product transfer device, etc. 

Another special feature of the new Tornado at ATF is that the base pallets are automatically fed to the production cycle by an insertion robot from two stacking magazines. Due to the upwardly moving segment, the manhole steps can be inserted above the pit in a user-friendly manner. New at ATF is the universal production of reinforced compensation rings. With the same machine and the same handling components, compensation rings are produced in many different designs. The base pallet insertion robot is converted into a discharge device for the compensation rings by simply attaching a special gripper. The compensation rings are stacked on boards next to the machine without base pallets, i.e. fresh on fresh. This has made it possible to produce two fundamentally different products with one machine. Short changeover times enable a conclusive overall concept. Cost and time savings, significantly improved working conditions for the machine operator. The production of compensation rings and manhole components on one machine were the priorities when selecting a machine and assembling the handling components.