CBE celebrates 500 projects
26 September 2017France - Tunnel segment mould manufacturer CBE has taken on its 500th project. The milestone happened to fall in the group’s 30th anniversary which it has been celebrating this year.
The project is the Paris Line 15 South, part of the Grand Paris Express project and comprises two tunnels, one running for 4,679m and one for 2,159m. CBE will supply a carousel and six sets of moulds. Segment production was due to begin in September as Tunnels and Tunnelling went to press.
Didier Lefebvre, CEO of the company said, “We are marking history twice with these 500 tunnel projects achieved worldwide with our moulds. [...] The fact that this 500th project takes place in France is highly symbolic and can be seen as a nod to our history. Our teams are all very proud of the work accomplished through the years.”
The system itself is a modular carousel, fitted with a new heating system (air heating rather than heat generated in the more traditional way, passing a current through a resistive material) that saves energy by recovering the heated air. There is also a water spraying system to regulate humidity in the curing chamber.
A spokesperson for CBE added: “The production line has also gained a few novelties: a reinforced camera system on the transfer gantry and flying bucket has been added, as well as an automated stacker designed to simplify stacking between the tilting device and the pre-storage phase. A pre-storage carousel completes those innovations: it allows segments to cool down progressively before stocking them outside.”
