Three products in one

Weinberger Holz from Reichenfels/AT have made a name for themselves with the production of log house planks a long time ago already. In 2010, the enterprise added a factory in Abtenau where glulam, bilam and trilam beams are produced. The total number that senior partner Johann Josef Weinberger puts on the output volume is 120,000 m³/yr. The Weinberger family's commitment to wood looks back at a history of more than 160 years. With Johann Alfred Weinberger, the by now sixth generation is running the company. The timber industry's credo is: "Best of Wood." No wonder father and son are constantly looking for new products as well as further developing the existing ones. This way, the wall and ceiling element "Primolam" came into being. 

It's the inner values that count

"We turned our settling-free log house plank Bilam forte into a large-area element - a logical consequence", Weinberger explains. "It combines the advantages of cross-laminated timber, the stacked timber system and laminated beams. We named it plywood beam system or Primolam. Weinberger produces the elements with a three-layer structure in a thickness of 90 up to 240 mm. The six different widths range between 20 and 120 cm, the length goes up to 13.5 m. Due to the fact that many different sizes are available by default, the carpentry is flexible in their planning. "Apart from that, Primolam is easier to handle which makes logistical problems easier to solve", the director remarks.

Once used in the construction, there is virtually no way to make out visual differences to conventional CLT at first sight. What makes Primolam special are its details - or rather its inner workings. The cross-section shows that Weinberger does not simply glue together the boards at their abutting joints but rather uses tongue-and-groove joints.

The marked face can be chamfered which creates a beam-like appearance. Normally, Weinberger is manufacturing the elements from spruce but the cover lamination can optionally also be made from larch, pine, Swiss stone pine, or combinations of those softwoods. For wall elements, Weinberger offers Primolam in both visual and industrial grade. Depending on the application, the outer lamination is horizontal (for optimal load-bearing) or vertical (for maximum vertical load transference). As a ceiling element, Primolam stands out with a higher load-bearing capacity in the main strain direction than CLT, Weinberger adds. This is possible due to a higher share of lengthwise arranged wood in the outer cover lamination.

Patented and earthquake-proof

Weinberger developed a special corner connection for the already CE-certified wall elements. The Primolam quarter sheet system has a threefold effect: Form fit through quarter sheet connections, force fit through bolting, as well as further force fit connection through additional bolting in the transverse direction. "With this combination, we achieve the highest level of earthquake resistance", Weinberger emphasizes. For the future, Weinberger expects an annual Primolam production output of 20,000 m³.