Within the last two decades Gufler Metall KG, a company founded in 1991 in South Tyrol, has risen from a small business to a leading company in the field of hydraulic steel engineering. In the early years Gufler Metall focussed on forging, but has meanwhile shifted to delivering the most competent assistance for everything that has to do with hydraulic steel engineering, metal construction and penstock welding. The company has accumulated a long list of references in the recent past, having engaged in almost all hydropower plant projects in the South Tyrolean area. In the following we’ll have a closer look at the product range of the hydraulic steel engineering experts.

The Enerpass power plant was one of the biggest hydropower plant projects in South Tyrol in the last few years. For the installation of the penstocks the operators of the Enerpass power plant relied on the notable reputation of Gufler Metall, as so many other hydropower plant operators had counted on the company before. Having started off as a two-men operation, Gufler Metall over the years has gained an excellent reputation through a variety of many successfully realized projects. The company’s know-how surfaces in the planning, the execution and the installation of projects in almost all sections of the hydraulic steel engineering field, as the following overview of Gufler Metall’s product range shows.

Flood Gates and Flap Gates
Flood gates are shut-off and control devices. They are important for the smooth operation of a hydropower plant as they enable an exact regulation of the flow rate and the complete shut-off or damming of the water. The product range of the hydraulic steel engineering company, based in the Passeier Valley, is very extensive, consisting of slide gates, roller gates, double flood gates and sluice gates with attached flap gates. Larger weirs are often provided with flap gates of different sizes, the most common version being the fish belly flap gate. These gates are powered by hydraulic cylinders and hydraulic power units using biodegradable oil. The flood gates and the flap gates are robust in construction and built with high-quality steel to ensure long life and stout sealing.

Penstock Protection Valves
In an emergency penstock protection valves prevent huge or even irreparable damage to the machine unit through a quick intervention. Gufler Metall’s penstock protection valves make sure the electromechanical gear does not suffer damage when water leaks. In an emergency situation a falling weight is activated within seconds through a reliable mechanical release mechanism setting off a hydraulic closing dynamic, which then locks down the process water channel. Gufler Metall’s penstock protection valves are delivered ready-for-assembly with inlet cone, bypass and junctions for ventilation.

Trash Rack Cleaners
In most cases an inlet trash rack needs an appropriate cleaning device in order to guarantee a smooth operation. Gufler Metall’s sturdy trash rack cleaners are the best solution for protective racks of all kinds. The company offers trash rack cleaners with a single or multiple telescopic arm design as well as cleaners with an articulated arm. Customers can choose between electromechanical and hydraulic power units using biodegradable oil, just as with the flood gates and the flap gates. The power units are built into unobtrusive switchboards. Depending on the customer’s requirements the movable parts of the trash rack cleaner will be provided as crude steel, steel with protective coating or galvanized steel. Moreover the hydraulic steel engineering company offers racks for classic Tyrolean weirs with gap spacings of various dimensions. The rack design can be executed in extra-robust wear-resistant layers as well as with integrated plates for the residual flow. As for the material customers have a choice of crude steel, hot-dip galvanized or stainless steel.

Coanda Trash Racks
Operators in modern Alpine small-scale hydropower plants turn more and more to Coanda trash racks for sediment deposition systems. In most hydropower projects these protective racks are installed into the weir plant after the coarse rack. Their self-cleaning operating technology can also be used as maintenance-free protective filter for penstocks of all kinds. The installation of a Co-anda rack can considerably reduce plant, operation and maintenance costs. These racks are available in various dimensions and are made of stainless steel. They are mainly used with flowing waters, whether a water catchment is newly built or simply remodelled. The narrow rack bar spacing and the eponymous Coanda-effect reliably keep any sediment particles of 0.5 mm in diameter or higher out of delicate machinery parts, thus preventing plugging and damage. The operation of a Coanda trash rack is not even affected by frosty temperatures of -25° Celsius, as many of Gufler Metall’s reference projects, which have been in operation for more than twenty years without any problems, can prove.

Top Service by Top Professionals
Family-run Gufler Metall, now employing a total of 15 people, links its steady success to two interdependent key aspects. One is keeping customer satisfaction at a maximum by successfully combining high-quality on-time services with a fair cost performance ratio. The second aspect is having jobs only performed by top-qualified experts, whom the founding members, brothers Alfred and Gothard Gufler, call their most valuable resource.