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Pannkoke: Unusual shop window installation
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 Can you imagine glazing a 12 x 3 m float glass pane with a thickness of 22 mm? This gigantic shop window pane weighs nearly 2000 kg! How would you solve doing such a job? The Shoei Co. of Tokyo solved this problem with a vacuum lifting device from Pannkoke Flachglastechnik GmbH of Luebeck, Germany.
In February 1994 this gigantic shop window pane was installed in a suburb of Tokyo under the observation of many spectators, the press, broadcasters and television cameras. Such an event was unique and newsworthy. No one had ever seen this before because, honestly, how often do shop windows use such enormous single panes?!.
Messrs Shoei Co. is a sales partner of Messrs Pannkoke in Japan and has, beside a glass processing factory, also a so-called contract glazing firm. This idea of the owner is based on a car crane with a complete vacuum lifting device selection. The truck is equipped with a hydraulic crane and a built-in 24 V DC vacuum pump. Furthermore, there are several different Pannkoke vacuum lifting devices for diverse applications on the truck. Thus everything from normal panes to large-sized curved panes can be effectively handled.
In this special case the super shop window pane was delivered in a wooden case directly from the glassworks Central Glass, Tokyo. As things developed, it became apparent that the unpacking and the removal of the case was a bigger problem than the real installation action of the pane. After removing the front side of the case, the vacuum lifting device was set. Each suction cup was checked for correct placing, the vacuum pump was switched on and, after another safety check, the pane was lifted a few centimeters. Because of limited space, the case and the pillow block had to first be removed, as only after that was it possible to start with the real installation. In less than 15 minutes, the gigantic shop window pane, including the outer frame, was installed.
The success of an assembly of this size and weight was also a premiere for Pannkoke, who had developed the special vacuum traverse for this installation. The application of this vacuum lifting device has shown again the safe and economic benefit of the vacuum lifting technique.
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September 21st, 2001
Photo: Pannkoke
Source: Pannkoke |
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