concrete batching plant

Concrete is the basic ingredient of construction. So naturally, that makes the batching plant a vital part of construction industry.  Concrete batching plant is a useful facility which mixes and blends the raw materials required to produce concrete. Once all the raw materials are skilfully mixed and blended to completion, they are then transported to the construction site.

 

The usage of concrete dates back to old times. The first known use of concrete was in the form of concrete mortar. The history of concrete starts from 200 B.C when the Romans used concrete mortar for binding stones together. So the earliest buildings contained concrete as glue. After the fall of Roman Empire,  a lot of knowledge about concrete technology recessed. Around 1820's, Joseph Aspdin introduced Portland cement to the market. The field of concrete has rocketed up since then. Today, we see the most advanced equipment and batching plants manufacturing the best of concrete products.

 

Working of batching Plant:

 

To understand the working of a batching plant, first we need to understand the process of concrete manufacture.

Raw Materials:

The main raw materials required for its production are sand,water, fly ash, cement, admixture along with aggregates which include rocks and gravel.

Batch Mixing Process:

Based on the mixing and blending of these ingredients, four major operations take place in the concrete mixer batching plant.

 The first step is aggregate feeding. Once the concrete mixer plant starts to operate, the machine starts to process the initialization commands which are formula number, concrete slump, concrete quality or grade and the efficiency of production.

 

Then comes the powder feeding. Each raw material is carefully weighed by weighing hoppers and dumped into the concrete mixer. The water and admixture valves are also carefully operated, just the right measured amount of all these materials is mixed and blended in the mixer plant.

This process requires great care and constant vigilance. The setting time for concrete is 30-45 minutes and it must be transported to the required location within that time.

 

To reach the specified location well within time, a special type of batching plants, mobile concrete batching plants are used.

Types of Batching Plants:

 

There are two main types of concrete batching plants. This division is based on the mixing process of the plant. The types  are,

 

Ready Mix Plants:

In this type of concrete mixing plant all the raw materials are combined except water. So sand, cement, rock, gravel, admixtures, and rest of the materials are weighed and mixed in this plant. Then the mixture is carried to the site of construction by a ready mix truck which is also called concrete transport truck. Water is then added into the mixture at the spot of the construction site.

Central mix plants:

A central mix plant mixes all the raw materials, including water at the central location. After the concrete forms completely, the product is transferred to the job site. This concrete mixing plant provides a better quality product that is more consistent and high-end. Since all the materials are mixed via computer aided programs, it yields concrete of highly uniform composition. Do this concrete mixing plant is of greater value if high quality product is required. 

Mobile Concrete Batch Plant:

This is a relatively new type of concrete batching plant. It has a number of containers which carry all the materials separately to the desired place. Once all the materials reach the site, they are mixed and blended at the job site according the need and nature of the job.

 

Batching Plant Equipment:

The equipment which makes up the concrete batching plant design might vary. However the major parts of the all plants are quite similar.

The equipment includes cement and aggregate batchers, conveyor devices, and radial stackers. For storage of raw materials the batch plant design contains aggregate bins, bins for cement and cement silos. Equipment for temperature regulation consist of heaters for heating water,chillers for lowering the temperature. Some computer operated parts are batch plant controls. Some environmental friendly equipment include dust collectors.

The most important and the central part of the concrete batching plant design is the Mixer.  Mixers are of three types,

 1. Tilt

It is a comparatively sophisticated version of the batching plant. The tilt mixture rotates at a speed of 30-60 revolutions per minute. In this type of mixer different aiding devices help to make the product more consistent. For instance, Archimedes screw is an important tool for hoisting the ingredients. It also helps in conveying the raw material to the mixer.

Another useful tool is called iron ball. Iron balls help in mixing the product properly and uniformly. 

 

2. Twin shaft mixer.

Uniform concrete in large bulks, this is the speciality of Twin Shaft mixer. However its cost factor is more than the tilt mixer.

 

3. Pan concrete mixer:

Pan concrete mixer is also a useful mixer. Its use is quite limited though. Mainly the other two types dominate the market.

Concrete Batching Plant manufacturers:

There are a number of manufacturers of concrete batching plants in the market currently. The price ranges of these plants are also variable according to their design, quality and usefulness.

Some of the top manufacturers are listed below.

MACinn

MACinn is one of the top emerging brand in the market. Major products of MACinn are the CONMAC 30, CONMAC 45, CONMAC 60 and CONMAC 75. 

Their technical specifications vary, for example the Plant Capacity (m3/hour) for CONMAC 30, CONMAC 45, CONMAC 60, CONMAC 75, is 30, 45, 60 and 70-75 respectively. The Mixer Capacity (volume) range is from 0.5 - 1.5 while the motor power is as much as 125-135 KW for the CONMAC 75.  

MACinn is a leading automated machinery brand of Pakistan. The prices of concrete batching and concrete mixing plants in Pakistan varies from brand to brand. The prices also depend on the type of plant.

 

Texaloy Foundry Co Inc

Texaloy Foundry Co Inc has been in this business for over 70 years. They are known for making all kinds of concrete mixers including the twin shaft, pan and high intensity mixers. They also manufacture blades, liners plows and scrapers for concrete mixing plants.

Elkon Company

Elkon was established in 1975 and it is among the top 1000 export countries in the world. Elkon uses advanced technology to produce a wide range of products including stationary and on-site concrete batching plants.  Stationary batching plants  are the ELKOMIX-60, ELKOMIX-120, ELKOMIX-135 and ELKOMIX-180.The mixers used in these batching plants are twin shaft mixers, however ELKOMIX-60 and ELKOMIX-120 also have pan mixers.

This company also manufactures mobile and compact batching plants. Other products include concrete recycling pumps, cement silos, cement feeding systems and trailer type concrete pumps.

 

MEKA

Like ELKON, Meka is also a turkey based company. It is a reputable organization known  known for its high quality products.

They manufacture high quality mobile batching plants that make concrete on the site of job. Stationary concrete plants designed to have maximum efficiency with production outputs ranging from 30m3 to 180m3 per hour. Meka also manufactures  concrete mixers that have abrasion proof surface.

 

The concrete batching plant is a vital part of the construction industry providing the basic building material. This concrete is further transported to the block making plants for manufacturing concrete blocks of required properties. The automation of these plants has greatly improved the efficiency and overall productivity of the industry.