An overview of the types of formwork systems and the potential

The size of the global formwork market is expected to reach USD6,160 million in 2024. The growth is attributed to the rapid expansion of the residential and commercial construction sector due to new construction activities and the renovation of old sites around the world. The demand for residential spaces due to the increase in population will also present potential growth opportunities for the global market. Wood and plywood are the key raw materials used in the manufacture of formwork. However, aluminum formworks are gaining increasing popularity as they are lightweight and have low density. Aluminum formworks have a longer lifespan compared to their wood and plywood counterparts and, therefore, are also more economical. Over the next few years, the market is expected to generate significant growth in aluminum formwork.

Construction companies are growing at an accelerated pace where it is estimated that the total size of the formwork market will reach around USD 6,120 million for 2024, from 5,21 billion in 2017, registering a healthy CAGR. This growth is occurring because construction companies are paying great attention to labor and severe time-saving methodologies.

The formwork manufacturers are placing their R & D to account for the developments of articles that maintain the interesting working states of India. Peri, another pioneer of the global market in the area, had earlier this year boosted Peri Liwa, a light type of board formwork, which can be used wherever there is access to restricted crane limits or where all work must be physically performed. The solid development of modules is normally used as part of private housing, where a similar design should be imitated in large quantities. This type of formwork systems could take a key part in India that is ready to enter a period of gigantic advance of moderate hosting companies.

In the development business, various types of cement formwork are used. In general, concrete formwork is being used. Numerous types of formwork are accessible for any construction project. In light of the type, the formwork market has been delegated to a designed formwork system, conventional wood formwork, reusable plastic formwork, permanent formwork systems of permanent configuration, durable protected formwork and adaptable formwork.

Why the formwork:

The acute shortage of labor is one of the key factors that have driven the demand for formwork and scaffolding systems. The shortage of labor has added to the pressure on contractors, who are already grappling with the problems of increasing construction costs. In this era of lean construction methods, with tight bags, semi-automated and automated formwork systems have been a blessing. The formwork must have sufficient strength to carry a dead load and a live load during the casting operation and then until the concrete hardens and gains a percentage of design strength. Therefore, choosing the best one is almost a necessity for a successful system. Below are some of the popular formwork systems available.

Different types of formwork systems.

Traditional wooden formwork: the formwork is constructed on the site of wood and plywood or particle boards resistant to moisture. It is easy to produce, but it takes a lot of time for larger structures, and the veneer of plywood has a relatively short shelf life. It is still widely used where labor costs are lower than the costs to obtain a reusable formwork. It is also the most flexible type of formwork, so even when other systems are in use, complicated sections can use it.

Formwork system designed: this formwork is built with prefabricated modules with a metal frame (usually steel or aluminum) and covered on the application side (concrete) with material that has the desired surface structure (steel, aluminum, wood, etc.). The two main advantages of formwork systems, compared to traditional wood formwork, are the speed of construction (modular systems pin, clip or screw together quickly) and lower life cycle costs (except force majeure, the frame It is almost indestructible, while the coating if made of wood, it may be necessary to replace it after a few uses, or a few dozen, but if the coating is made with steel or aluminum, the shape can reach up to two thousand uses depending on attention and applications).

Reusable plastic formwork: these modular and interlocking systems are used to build widely variable but relatively simple concrete structures. The panels are light and very robust. They are especially suitable for projects of similar structures and low cost mass housing plans. To obtain an additional layer of protection against destructive weather, galvanized roofs will help eliminate the risk of corrosion and rust. These types of modular boxes can have loaded ceilings to maximize space by stacking one on top of the other. They can be mounted on an existing roof or be built without a floor and raised to the existing enclosures with a crane.

Permanent insulated formwork: this formwork is assembled on the site, generally of insulating concrete forms (ICF). The formwork remains in place after the concrete has been cured, and can provide advantages in terms of speed, strength, superior thermal and acoustic insulation, space to run services within the EPS layer and an integrated trimming strip for the coating finishes.

Stay-In-Place structural formwork systems: this formwork is assembled on site, usually in prefabricated fiber-reinforced plastic forms. These are in the form of hollow tubes, and are generally used for columns and pillars. The formwork remains in place after the concrete has cured and acts as axial and shear reinforcement, in addition to serving to confine the concrete and prevent environmental effects, such as corrosion and freeze and thaw cycles.

Flexible formwork: unlike the rigid molds described above, flexible formwork is a system that uses lightweight and high-strength sheets of cloth to take advantage of the fluidity of concrete and create highly optimized and architecturally interesting forms of construction. Using flexible formwork, it is possible to mold optimized structures that use significantly less concrete than a prismatic section of equivalent strength, [3] thus offering the potential for significant energy savings embodied in new concrete structures.