ANCON Building Products has launched the Staifix QuickStart wall starter system, which includes all wall ties and fixings needed to join a new wall to existing brickwork.
Wall ties and restraint fixings are an essential element in the stability of masonry panels. The wall ties are integral to the stainless steel starter strip and fold out at pre-set 225-mm vertical centres. When compared with wall starters that have separate wall ties, this system accelerates build speed and helps installers maintain an accurate brick/block gauge, according to a company official. “There are fewer components to misplace on site and the reduction in material content offers attractive environmental and cost saving benefits, without compromising performance,” he says.
The Staifix range of wall starters comprises three products, all popular ways of joining new walls to existing masonry. It includes the Universal Wall Starter system, which comprises two channel sections and all necessary fixings to join a single skin of masonry 2.4-m high to an existing wall; the Starter Tie, which is a screw-in tie supplied for joining new masonry to existing walls without the need for jointing, making it suitable for the construction of conservatories, extensions and garden walls; and the Cavity Starter Tie, also a screw-in tie that simplifies the build of an inner leaf of blockwork within an existing structure.
This latest product launch comes just weeks after Ancon was awarded the 2012 Queen’s Award for Innovation, in recognition of its active product development programme.
The company’s divisional manager Andrew Lilley says: “Ancon regularly launches new and improved products, and earlier this year we were honoured with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise. This award recognises outstanding innovation and commercial success, which confirms that we develop products end-users want to buy. Our distributors can be confident that a new Ancon product offers an excellent sales opportunity.”
The UK-based Ancon designs and manufactures high integrity steel products for the construction industry, supplying customers worldwide in various sectors from small-scale residential developments to major infrastructure projects. Its fixings come in a variety of lengths and types for restraining brickwork, blockwork and stonework.
The Staifix range of wall ties includes solutions for all types of masonry construction including traditional brick-to-block, thin-joint blockwork and timber frames. Other products in the Staifix range from Ancon include cavity wall ties, screw-in starter ties, warm roof batten fixings and a crack stitching repair kit. Services offered to Staifix stockists include competitive pricing, product training, online product selectors and project referrals, he says.
Ancon has supplied to prestigious projects throughout the world, some of which include London St Pancras Station, UK; Sydney Olympic Stadium, Australia; The Palm Island in Dubai, UAE; Madrid Airport, Spain; and Horburg Tunnel, Switzerland.