Werma’s beacons light up the sky above Rottweil

At 246m high the tower not only has the highest viewing platform in Germany but is also becoming a magnet for sight-seeing in Baden-Württemberg. To ensure the tower is clearly visible to aircraft pilots in the dark or poor visibility it has to be illuminated with so-called obstruction beacons. The extremely bright red LED beacons from Werma are one of the important safety factors in aviation.

In Germany, towers, masts, factory chimneys and high buildings above a certain height must be illuminated with obstruction beacons. These special beacons ensure that
the obstruction is clearly visible to aircraft pilots during darkness and poor visibility conditions. The requirement for and application of such beacons is laid down in legal guidelines and recommendations*. Rietheim based Werma has supplied 22 obstruction beacons type 281 thus making a significant contribution to aircraft safety.

Long maintenance-free life

The type 281 obstruction beacon is extremely bright, giving out 32 candela with the distinctive “aircraft red” colour visible in 360°. Using the latest long-life LED’s the beacons are virtually maintenance free, giving a life of up to 50,000
hours which is 50 times longer than traditional filament bulbs.

The design and construction of the beacon is extremely robust and the materials used are resistant to sea-water and fuels. The glass lens is made of hardened reinforced borosilicate and can withstand even the most severe of weather conditions.

Werma offers solutions for many applications, not just in industry

Signal devices are not only deployed in classic machine and equipment applications. They are also used extensively in the construction industry and entry/exit applications in, for example, car-parks and leisure centres/theme parks.
The wide range of optical and audible signal devices makes the local environment safe and secure. 

A tower of superlatives

The test tower in Rottweil is quite unique with its special membrane which is wrapped around the concrete casing like a screw, making it not only a visually unique construction but also full of other secrets. 15,000 cubic metres of concrete were used in the building and 2,500 tons of steel. The foundations are 30m deep and a total of 1,670 steps have to be trodden to reach the viewing
platform. Up there at a height of 232m the highest viewing platform in Germany affords, on a clear day, breath-taking panoramic views of the Black Forest, up to the Schwäbian Hills and down to the Alps. The tower will, under conditions of severe high wind forces, move by up to 75cm. The tower is used to test the very latest in high-speed passenger and goods lifts manufactured by Thyssenkrupp which will later be installed in sky-scrapers, making Rottweil the centre for the type of work.

*see international civil aviation regulations (ICAO) and guidelines issued by the German Federal Ministry for transport