The Story of the Mole
The history of the development of pneumatic ground piercers, also known as "moles", dates back to World War I, when the idea arose to create a machine that would allow digging a tunnel from a safe distance under enemy fortifications and placing an explosive charge inside it.
In the 50s, Wiktor Zienkiewicz, working for the Polish Ship Rescue Service, proposed using this type of machine to pull ropes under the bottom of a sunken ship and lift it from the bottom.
The event, although it was not a success, had such a wide resonance that Kazimierz Zygmunt and Tadeusz Gerlach from the Gdańsk University of Technology took up the construction of the mole and its improvement. The design of a pneumatic ground piercer designed to pull cables into the ground and drive steel pipes proved very successful and was transferred to mass production. The first mass-produced "moles", in the amount of 4000, were manufactured in the Gniezno Metal Works of the Local Industry and in the Metal Works in Skarżysko. Most of the machines were exported mainly to the USA, Russia and Japan, where in the 60s and 70s new design solutions for the mole began to be developed. Particularly strong "competition" from Soviet solutions led, in the mid-70s, to the cessation of production in Poland.
The implementation of the "mole" in Poland was not resumed until 1996 in Gdańsk. It was undertaken by Terma Technologie, currently TERMA, a company already very well known at that time for the production of bathroom radiators and heaters. In cooperation with the "old" team from the Gdańsk University of Technology, a prototype of the "mole" with a diameter of 130 mm was created after a year. 6 more prototypes were created, which underwent tests on the dynamometer (indication and tensometric stress measurements) and field tests in conditions consistent with the intended use. Several years of research and development work made it possible to start the production and sale of pneumatic-impact machines in 2000. MAX Breakthrough Power. Their functional features made them worthily compete with machines manufactured by foreign manufacturers. Max-type devices received numerous industry awards, setting completely new quality and functional standards on the market. "Moles" gained a new head mounting solution, higher-mass beaters, innovative use of reverse gear, which make them one of the strongest and most innovative "moles" on the market.
HISTORY OF CRETE IN TERMA
Since 1990, TERMA (then TERMA TECHNOLOGIE), in addition to producing radiators, has also been involved in commissioned pressing, using machines offered by other manufacturers of pneumatic pressing machines. This is where the idea of producing our own moles and improving their design and functionality came from. Extensive experience in performing installations using the pressing method meant that our own pressing machines quickly gained recognition on the market.
2000. - mass production and sales MAX K130S. This is still the most popular mole model in the TERMA offer.
2002. - introduction to the offer MAX K65
2003. - introduction to the offer MAX K75S
2008. - introduction to the offer MAX K180S
2011. - introduction to the offer MAX K95S
2013. - introduction to the offer MAX K160S
2016. - introduction to the offer MAX K55
2017. - introduction to the offer MAX K75K
Information on technological possibilities and machinery can be found here HERE.
