F.C. Nüdling Betonelemente GmbH & Co. KG in Fulda, Germany, decided five years ago to use the harmonic vibration system developed at the Institut für Fertigteiltechnik und Fertigbau Weimar e.V. (Insitute of Precast Technology and Precast Construction, Weimar, reg. assoc.) for the first time for the manufacturing of concrete blocks. The vibrating table and its peripheral elements, which up to that point had been tested as a prototype in the pilot plant at the IFF, were integrated in an existing concrete block machine at the Themar works in July 2003 (Fig. 1). The new system and the implementation of the components were reported on in detail at the 10th expert congress of the IFF in November 2003 [1], [2]. Today, after four years of experience in day-today industrial operation, the project can look back on a successful development. The Themar pilot project has won several national and international prizes and has ushered in a new era in the moulding and compacting of concrete blocks [3], [4].
