Heating roller for manufacturing irregular concrete formwork

Hand tool for smoothing the inner curved surfaces of EPS formwork using a proximity-sensing heating roller

This technology features a heating roller designed for manual use, consisting of a hollow cylindrical molding roller rotatably attached to a handle. The roller is heated to melt and smooth the inner surfaces of irregular formwork members made from stacked expanded polystyrene (EPS) panels. The top of the roller is enclosed by a cover, and an exhaust pump extracts air from beneath it. A proximity sensor automatically activates and deactivates the heater and pump as the roller approaches the workpiece.

Formwork for irregular buildings is typically created by stacking multiple 2cm-thick EPS panels to form a rough shape, which must then be precisely smoothed to match the building's exterior. Previously, this required manual sanding or grinding, which was extremely time-consuming.

This technology leverages the property of EPS to soften at temperatures above 100°C and melt at higher temperatures. It uses a rod heater fixed at both ends of a yoke, with a molding roller mounted via bearings to shape large areas in a single pass. Heating and exhaust only activate when the roller nears the surface, reducing unnecessary heat and immediately extracting fumes. Ideal for irregular formwork, large EPS molds, and precast curved panels, this tool enables rapid finishing of large curved surfaces without dust, significantly reducing production time.

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Key Features:

• A molding roller with a laterally extending cylindrical shape, featuring a through-hole in the center and rotatably coupled to a handle
• A heating unit consisting of a rod heater fixed at both ends to a yoke, heating the molding roller coupled to its exterior via bearings
• An exhaust pump connected to an upper cover that encloses the top circumference of the molding roller to discharge air from beneath the cover
• A control unit that receives signals from a proximity sensor to turn the heating unit and exhaust pump on or off when the molding roller reaches a certain distance from the workpiece

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This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for the development of 3D printing equipment for buildings.

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