Case Study - Seele Covertex - Gerber Technology

SEWN PRODUCTS SOLUTIONS
seele covertex
CUSTOMER CASE STUDY
seele covertex Uses Customized GERBERcutter
to Shield Major Railway Station in China

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seele covertex membranes Shanghai Co., Ltd. deals in the fabrication, engineering and
installation of membrane structures and offers premier engineering, design, manufac-
turing and construction solutions. These structures are created by using ETFE (ethylene
tetrafluoroethylene), PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride),
PVC (polyvinyl chloride) materials. seele covertex has production capacity of 500,000
square meters of material per year. Over the years, the company has created mem-
brane structures for both private and public sector projects, which range from sports
and entertainment venues to train stations.
The company began its first operation in 2004 and operates under its parent company,
seele holding GmbH & Co. KG in Germany

Guangzhou’s Largest Railway Station
The Guangzhou South Railway Station is the largest metro
station in Guangzhou and one of the four largest railway pas-
senger transportation hubs in China, serving 300,000 pas-
sengers per day. seele covertex was hired to manufacture and
install the membrane structure that covers the station. A total
of 20,000 square meters of single- and double-ply EFTE
material was used for the roof covering, the first time such
material was used in a China railway station. Daylight enters
the station through the rooflights – which are fitted with a
total of 13,000 square meters of PTFE.
The Guangzhou South Railway Station is
one of the four largest railway passenger
transportation hubs in China, serving
300,000 passengers per day.
seele covertex purchased a GERBERcutter ® DCS2500 in 2008
and has used it to accomplish several high-profile projects.
To meet the needs of seele covertex, Gerber customized a
DCS2500 cutter expanding the width of the cutting sur-
face to four meters and the length to 18 meters to provide
a surface big enough to carry out large cutting tasks.
According to both Bjoern Beckert, seele covertex’s general
manager and the company’s cutter operators, the cutter
delivers highly accurate cut parts by creating better patterns
and more efficient nests. The cutter also helped reduce mate-
rial costs and has increased daily output of cut materials from
300 square meters to 1,500 square meters. The cutter has
also been praised for its vacuum and air flotation systems
which are integral to the successful cutting of the materials
used by seele covertex.
A total of 20,000 square meters of single- and double-ply EFTE
material was used for the roof covering, the first time such material
was used in a China railway station.
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Sky Canopy at Suzhou’s Harmony Times Square
The GERBERcutter DCS2500 system is a highspeed,
single- or low-ply, static table cutting
system designed to cut a wide variety of
technical textiles. It cuts at speeds up to 1.1
meters per second to significantly improve an
operation’s throughput.
Gerber Technology customized the size of its
DCS2500 cutter to enable seele covertex to easily
cut massive panels. The cutting system helped
reduce material costs and has increased output
of cut materials from 300 square meters to 1,500
square meters per day.
Harmony Times Square, located in Suzhou, China, is a new landmark for the city. It includes office buildings, riverfront cafes and
a state-of-the-art shopping mall. seele covertex constructed a 9,500-square-meter canopy that covers much of it. The sky canopy
is constructed of an ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) fabric on which approximately 20 million LED (light-emitting diode)
lamps are installed, to form what is claimed to be the world’s largest LED display screen. The project won a 2009 Award of
Excellence in IFAI’s annual International Achievement Awards program.
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seele covertex has also used the GERBERcutter DCS2500 in the cutting of membranes for several other large projects in
Europe, Asia and the other regions of the world. With a team of expert technical engineers, the company now ranks as one
of the leaders in the field of membrane structures.
Beijing National Olympic Stadium
Standing 70 meters high and covering 38,000 square meters in
area, the Bird’s Nest National Stadium in Beijing will forever be
remembered as the focal point of the 2008 Olympic Games.
During the opening ceremony, much of the world was transfixed
by this brilliant structure as China hosted one of the world’s
biggest opening ceremonies in the history of the Olympics.
This massive stadium was an example of how far architectural
integrity has come in recent years. A closer look at
the stadium reveals that it is covered with a single layer of
ETFE (Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) film, a type of plastic
film designed to have high corrosion resistance and
strength over a wide temperature range. The ETFE film on
the stadium’s roof provides weather resistance while allowing
for adequate sunlight to reach the lawn inside the stadium.
At the same time, the structure collects rain water
for other uses. This idea of new technology combined with
environmental sustainability was the work of Shanghaibased
seele covertex.
The Beijing National
Olympic stadium is covered
with a single layer of ETFE
(Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene)
film, a type of plastic
designed to have high corrosion
resistance and
strength over a wide temperature
range. The total
membrane area of 38,000
square meters is made up
of 880 individual panels,
each measuring 216 square
meters.
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Corporate Headquarters
Gerber Technology
24 Industrial Park Road West
Tolland, CT 06084, USA
Phone: +1 860 871 8082
www.gerbertechnology.com
February 2011