Concrete is the single most essential raw material in literally every construction project. They are a huge and expensive assortment of multiple heavy machines and require immense expertise to operate and maintain.
In this blog post, we are taking a comprehensive look into the functions and various types of concrete batching plants, and the top models available in India.
Concrete Batching Plants – What Are They?
A concrete batching plant, in simple terms, is a heavy machinery used to produce concrete in bulk quantities. The plant mixes a set of ingredients like water, admixtures, air, sand, and aggregates.
Before you buy used heavy machines like concrete plants, it is vital to know their functions and the best models available in the market.
Concrete batching plants can be of four main types:
- Stationary concrete batching plant
- Mobile concrete batching plant
- Transit or dry mix concrete batching plant, and
- Wet mix concrete batching plant.
Components of a Concrete Batching Plant
It has different parts such as mixers, aggregate batching bins, cement batching containers, radial stackers, conveyors, and so on. All of these machines work in unison to produce concrete ready to be transported and used for construction.
Concrete Mixer – The mixer is the central part of the batching plant. Mixers can be of several types including pan mixers, tilt drum mixers, planetary mixers, single, and swift shaft mixtures. This is where materials come in from the other components for the main mixing process.
Aggregate bins – These have two to six compartments for storing sand and aggregate materials like rocks and gravel. They can either use a hopper or a belt for weighing the materials.
Cement Silos – Cement silos are used to store bulk quantities of cement, mineral powder, and fly ash. Cement silos can be of three main types – bolted, horizontal, and integrated.
Screw conveyor – It is used to transport the mixed materials from the cement silos to the weighing hoppers.
Control System – The control system oversees the working of the entire system of machines. It is equipped with computers to monitor factors like measuring weights and volumes of aggregate materials, cement, and water. It can also help the operators spot malfunctions and glitches in the plant’s working.
Working Mechanism of a Concrete Batching Plant
The process of concrete batching begins with loading the aggregate materials into the feeder bins. The procedure ends when the ready-to-use concrete mixture is discharged from the plant.
For large construction projects that require high volumes of concrete, stationary concrete pumps are preferred. These take up a lot of space and are very expensive to set up and operate.
Stationary concrete plants follow six main steps in their working process.
- Aggregate feeding – Aggregate materials like sand, gravel, and rocks have to be fed into the aggregate bins.
- Binder feeding – The cement silos are fed with cement, fly ash, and admixtures.
- Water Feeding – A definite volume of water depending on requirements is loaded into the mixture to bind the material.
- Storage – The materials to be mixed are collected in storage compartments. They are then weighed into hoppers and added to the mixing unit.
- Controls – The operators use a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller)-type control panel to supervise the overall functioning of the concrete pant.
[ Also Read: Best Self-Loading Concrete Mixer: The Ultimate Guide ]
Top Concrete Batching Plant Models in India
Before you select the heavy machines most suited for your project, knowing about the different models and their respective features is a must.
Concrete plant models can be segregated on the basis of their output volume, that is, cubic meters of ready-mix concrete produced per hour. There are three main segments of machine capacity – up to 30 m³/hr, 30 to 60 m³/hr, and above 60 m³/hr.
Here are some of the best concrete batching plant models from top manufacturers in India.
SCHWING Setter HN6 – SCHWING Setter is one of the largest heavy equipment manufacturers in the world. Their HN6 concrete batching plant is widely used for various projects in India.
The HN6 has a high output of 205 m³/hr and an operating voltage of 415 V. It has a cement-weighing capacity of 3 tons and a water-weighing capacity of 1.5 tons.
SCHWING Setter HN5 – The HN5 has slightly lesser output than the HN6 at 176 m³/hr and the same operating voltage of 415 V. It has similar cement and water-weighing capacities.
Ajax CRB 90 – Ajax Engineering’s CRB 90 concrete plant has an output of 75 m³/hr. It has an operational power of 96 kW and a complete storage capacity of 40 m³.
CBS 140 Elba – The CBS 140 Elbs has a maximum output of 138 m³/hr and a mixer capacity of 3333 liters. It can mix 6 types of cement the screw conveyor can generate power up to 155 kW.
How to find the best concrete batching plant online?
You can find used heavy machinery like concrete batching plants and hot mix plants from reputed sellers at Heavy Machinery Care (HMC). All you need to do is simply download the HMC app from Google Play or the App Store. We’ll take care of all your queries related to concrete batching plants.
Construction equipment comes at high prices. If you are having trouble managing and obtaining funds to buy machines, reach out to us at HMC. We provide expert opinion in getting heavy machine finance and also assist you in getting your loan sanctioned without hassle.
