Steelwork connection systems distributor Structural Fixing Systems has been providing products from UK-based fastener systems manufacturer Lindapter for South African projects since 1976.

Lindapter clamping systems reduce the need to weld products or drill holes for bolts. Structural Fixing Systems’ Lindapter clamps have provided fastening solutions for large manufacturing and infrastructure projects, which require delicate fastening solutions that cause minimal damage to existing structures, along with faster construction time.

The company is providing Lindapter fasteners for large construction projects throughout South Africa, with some projects requiring engineers and construction workers to build digital models before construction can begin. Some of the largest projects are long-term projects, for which the company is continually providing fasteners.

In 2010, the Gautrain rail between Johannesburg and Pretoria used more than 16 000 Lindapter products to secure the cantilevers, tiebars and outriggers. Structural Fixing Systems has been approached for the supply of Lindapter products for the upcoming extensions to the Gautrain rail system.

However, some of the most extreme uses for Lindapter clamps can be seen in the UK and other international locations. St Pancras Station, in London, required extensive research to protect the delicate structure that is already in place.

The train station was opened in October 1868 and consists of historic structural pieces. The existing structure is more than a 100 years old; hence, a solution was required that did not entail welding or drilling through the existing structure.

Lindapter-type AF high-friction clamps, which vary greatly in size, were chosen at the start of the rebuilding project in 2004 and were used throughout until the project’s completion in 2006. The AF clamps are unique because they can be adjusted to accommodate different widths of material and tightened to secure two different types of material together.

Structural Fixing Systems sales manager Christine Da Silva explains that, because of these previous successes, some of the larger companies in South Africa that it is working with have expressed a desire to continue using Lindapter clamps, owing to the unique and innovative solutions on offer aligned to the cost savings that can be achieved owing to time savings and the flexibility that Lindapter connections offer in the event of a structure needing to be changed after it has been erected.

“We have been importing Lindapter clamps for large construction projects for more than 40 years. “Larger companies are still using the products because of the quality and the flexibility the system offers,” she concludess.