When a floor shows signs of wear, often extending into the soil, it can be necessary to remove the surface to a depth of 1.5cm. Schwamborn states that attempts to carry out this work with other available surface milling machines failed, not being capable of reaching the desired depth.  With the Schwamborn BEF 400RC however, a depth removal of 1.5cm is achievable. This is not only very economical due to the high area output and speed, but also extremely ergonomic due to the fact that the new milling machine can be operated by remote control. The new dust extraction options also reduces strain on the operator. Furthermore, when a new mineral industrial floor coating is to be applied after removal, it is important that the substrate has been removed to an even depth, only in this way can the maximum load bearing capacity and durability of the renovated floor be ensured.

Substrate preparation

Substrate preparation is made possible by the various technical innovations on the BEF 400RC, such as the precisely adjustable milling depth (even on sloping sub-soils). The exact milling depth and the position of the milling rotor can be determined separately on the right and left with the aid of an integrated spirit level, which also contributes significantly to the uniformity of the milling pattern. After the depth removal, Siegmund Griesheimer Siegmund Griesheimer, head of Schwamborn applications technology recommends grinding the milled board to get the surfaces completely even and to free it from parts loosened by the heavy milling operation because the substrate should have a perfect surface strength. “Then you can assume that a cementitious, mineral based coating, for example, will be highly durable in the long term,” he explains.

Joint renovation of concrete floors 

The BEF 400 RC is specially designed for all soil cultivation tasks that require a large working depth. The machine's 40cm wide rotor can be equipped not only with classic milling cutters (eight point carbide discs), but also with diamond cutting cutters, which cut even the hardest concrete soils to great depths. Depending on the task, several cutting discs can be mounted individually. The floor is cut into clean, evenly deep strips and can then be completely removed with a hammer drill to a depth of 3.5cm.

For the joint renovation, the milling rotor with the cut off wheel rotor was exchanged on the construction site within approx. 20min, as when renovating joints, it is important to remove the material gently in order to avoid major damage to the joint area. The joint is then refilled and, after the material has hardened, a new joint is created by a separation cut following the previous joint.