Max Frank Pecafil Steel Formwork Is More Efficient Than Traditional Formwork

The rate of construction work being done to modernise New Zealand is increasing. In the year ended September 2017, non-residential building consents across the country totalled $6.4 billion – up 5.9 percent from the September 2016 year. The need for better formwork technologies has risen to make construction work faster, more cost-effective and less labour-intensive.

Pecafil is one form of modernisation in the construction industry answering this need for modernisation. It is a formwork solution especially useful for laying foundations formwork, replacing conventional timber or steel shuttering for in-ground construction of pile caps and ground beams.

Designed by Max Frank in Germany and distributed by Fletcher Reinforcing, Pecafil is a specially manufactured material constructed from a steel mesh encased in an outer layer made of reusable, strong, heat-shrunk polyethylene. It is lightweight and self-supporting, supplied by Fletcher Reinforcing as a full sheet or pre-bent off-site according to design requirements. This significantly reduces construction time on-site, promising a quicker transition from breaking ground to pouring concrete.

Mark Ash, Business Development Manager for Fletcher Reinforcing, had this to say about Max Frank Pecafil: “Pecafil provides fast and accurate steel shuttering for a range of applications, using standard or custom-manufactured elements. It is a thoroughly modern and highly durable formwork solution.”

In comparison, traditional or wood formwork is physically demanding and time-consuming, often requiring crews to use a sledgehammer to drive wooden pegs into the ground. Its sustainability is also questionable as temporary wooden frames such as treated timber are usually sent to the landfill afterwards. Timber formwork also has a relatively short lifespan, tending to lose structural and dimensional properties over a period of time, posing potential safety problems.

Modern formwork systems and technologies like Pecafil are focused on maximising speed, efficiency and sustainability in the construction industry, while increasing health and safety to the workers. Fletcher Reinforcing is the trusted supplier for Pecafil – the modern and efficient framework solution.