This story serves as a metaphor, yet there are comparisons to be drawn with the everyday activities at RAMPF Machine Systems. Although its products are not edible, mechanical engineering companies quite literally build upon the top quality that RAMPF creates using the ideal base materials. The “chefs” at RAMPF need to have a consistently good, reliable command of the process.

Just a few decades ago, this almost exclusively referred to gray cast iron solutions. Today, however, system components made with epoxy resin-bonded mineral casting often present the better alternative.

But why ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC)? Comparable to an innovative cook, RAMPF engineers constantly ask themselves how they can implement changed market requirements in new formulations and solutions.

“Strictly speaking, the best machine bed material doesn’t exist, it always depends on the job at hand. Each material has its strengths and weaknesses – no formulation is too good to be improved,” says Dr. Thomas Abel, Director of Laboratory at RAMPF Machine Systems. For many years now, the company has been testing high-quality premium concrete solutions, amongst others, as cost-effective alternatives to the standard materials currently on offer.

RAMPF is breaking new ground with the newly developed ultra-high performance concrete EPUDUR, using on state-of-the-art nanotechnology. In addition to a high-quality premium concrete, selected ingredients such as gritting material, sand, and minerals are used in finely tuned dosages. High-performance flow agents ensure self-compacting, no additional vibration energy is required. Only a small amount of water has to be added as a chemical reactant.

The result is a viscous material whose pore volume is significantly lower than that of standard construction concrete.

Owing to its high dynamic stability, system solutions made with EPUDUR are the preferred choice when heavy weight and highly dynamic stress call for maximum precision.

This is the case, for example, with beds and components of machine tools for milling, turning, grinding, and eroding. Or as standard bases for power machines subject to high dynamic loads, such as motors, generators, turbines, and centrifuges.

In the grand scheme of things, the mechanical indicators are comparable to or sometimes even better than those of the mineral casting materials bonded with reactive resin that have proven popular over the years.

“EPUDUR, however, offers advantages and design options on top of this that ultimately translate into lower costs,” Haumann explains. The EPUDUR manufacturing process, for instance, doesn’t involve any type of technical compaction. The raw mixture automatically thickens free from pores and cavities and doesn’t show any shrinkage after curing. It is relatively easy to integrate cast components such as screw stays, loading elements, pipes, and hoses. Formwork can be created with steel, plastic, or even wooden reinforcements.

When it comes to large, heavy, and complex components, EPUDUR solutions usually perform better than the gray cast iron or polymer concrete variants. “In addition, ultra-high performance concrete is non-flammable and very resistant to aging at both low and high temperatures,” says Abel, adding: “Polymer- and cement-based RAMPF casting materials exhibit outstanding ecological credentials. Once you’re done with it, you can recycle the material as Class 1, non-hazardous construction waste.”

After many years of testing and optimization, RAMPF is optimistic that EPUDUR has got what it takes to become the material of the future. As Abel explains: “Since we understand exactly how the process works, we map everything ourselves, ensuring process reliability and consistently high quality for our customers.”

Using tried-and-tested mixing technology from KNIELE, the Wangen plant near Göppingen can currently manufacture system solutions for series of up to 10 tons. The goal is to double this capacity in the near future.

RAMPF will continue to produce customer-specific machine beds and machine bed components with the material that best suits the requirements in each specific situation. Nevertheless, the proportion of EPUDUR solutions, say Haumann and Abel in unison, will increase significantly.