Concreting Solutions Witness Hitech Advancements
Concrete equipment manufacturers have been carrying spate of improvisations in their product categories to deliver higher productivity and availability, P.P. Basistha takes a look at the recent advancements.
There is all round development in the concreting equipment industry. Manufacturers have been presenting newer solutions across the product verticals so as to cater the newer requirements of the contractors, working in high rise construction and most notably concrete road infrastructure projects. The machineries, manufacturers argue, consisting the batch mix plants, are capable of delivering higher concrete output in conjunction with batching concrete based on desired specifications of the contractors. While the pumps are capable of pumping various grades of concrete at higher pressure at longer heights and distances. The transit mixers are able to retain the appropriate quality of concrete, manufacturers also claim, while transporting them across longer lead distances while retaining the desired concrete quality.
He continues, “Exact rated throughput to our plants with faster uptime is enabled by twin shaft mixers with holding hopper. Twin shaft Mixer facilitates release of the mixed concrete based on gravitational force, thus minimizing wear of plates. This is on contrary by pushing system for releasing concrete offered by the competition products. Further, the advantage of twin shaft mixers is that they can handle varied sizes of aggregates ranging from 80-120mm based on the project requirements.”
Mr. Patel further mentions, “Our plants pass the cost benefit to our customers based on their programmable logic controlled enabled functionality (PLC). The PLC takes direct signal from the load cells, ensuring the desired mixing quality and accuracy, enabling the contractor to obtain the specified concrete output. This also delivers faster cycle time of the plants.”
Apollo Inffratech, which manufactures its concrete batch mix plants at Rajpur in Mehsana, Gujarat, has a tie-up for marketing US origin HEM slipform pavers with paving width from 2.75-13.5 meters. The pavers deliver the right quality of vibration at right frequency for getting the appropriate paving. The vibration in the vibrator can be undertaken individually and collectively. The company has a joint venture with Carmix (Italy) for self-loading mobile mixers.
Sharing details about the company’s product support, Mr. Patel informs, “We provide application engineering support to the road contractors on the required quality of additives to be mixed in concrete and batching for obtaining the proper quality mix. Products and parts support is ensured through our well placed components delivery system across the country.”
Targeting road construction, the company with its manufacturing facility near Vadodara Gujarat is banking on its new CRP 2400, 240 cum/hr, high capacity, concrete batch mix plants. “The high capacity pump features Sicoma’s or BHS Sonthofen’s twin shaft mixers for delivering higher levels of homogenous concrete at faster cycle times, so as to have quality even surface. This is as necessitated by road construction projects. Further, twin shaft mixers helps towards countering damage to the mixer parts. The other advantage is that it facilitates towards accommodating bigger sizes of aggregates as well as numerous materials, comprising -25 mm aggregates, sand, crusher dust, cement, fly ash and concrete admixtures, as required for pavement quality concrete as well as dry lean concrete in concrete road projects,” informs. Mr. Kudva.
He adds, “CRP 2400, which can be customized either with four or six bins based on the customer’s requirements, does not requires any ramp for loading the aggregates. The plant is directly connected through conveyors from the crushing plants located nearby.”
KYB has delivered two units of CRP 2400 for 80 km, 10 meters wide concrete road project in Andhra Pradesh between Ananthpur and Gutti being constructed by M/S. SRK Construction. KYB Conmat has recently delivered 90 cu mt/hr capacity plant for 200 meters tall, Chandrodaya temple construction at Mathura. The company will be delivering four transit mixers of 7 cum and one SCP 7500 and one rack & pinion elevator for the project as part of the package.
KYB Conmat has set up its new 24x7 customer care call centre that directs calls to the designated departments comprising electrical, mechanical or structural based on the complains. It has its dedicated stock yards for providing parts support for its equipments.
Expanded range & pumping abilities
Putzmeister India has introduced its new ‘E-Smart series’ of concrete stationery pumps. The new E-Smart, s-valve technology pumps are available with concrete pumping capacities of 40-50-60-70-90-100 cum/hr, manufactured at its Goa factory with most of the components indigenously developed.
Sharing further details, he says, “One of the notable features of our new pumps is that they have one centralized location for operation of the hydraulic-electrical and engines. This is in contrast to our previous pumps which had individual operating systems for the hydraulic, electric, and the engines. With independent operating systems, it was difficult for the operator to precisely identify the area of defects. With centralized integrated operating systems, it will be now quite easy for the operator to identify and rectify the defect in the particular operational area of its occurrence.”
Putzmeister currently has 5000+ pumps working in India. Based on the requirements of the customers, the company upgrades and refurbishes the machines in total or in parts. Further, based on the requirements of the customers to pump the desired quality of concrete, Putzmeister also provides complete solutions through its specialists in its Concrete Project Division. The company has 150 resident service engineers and service centers across four regions of the country. The German origin, concrete stationary and boom pumps manufacturer, based in Verna, Goa, markets its pumps through its own marketing channels in India.
Aquarius has added electrically powered stationery concrete pumps in its product line. It introduced compact, 700 series concrete pump driven by three cylinder diesel engine few years back. The Pune based company will be now offering pumps in three series comprising. 700 / 1000 / 1400 series models, with concrete output ranging between 30 / 50 / 70 / 90 /120 cum/hr capacity at various concrete pressure levels such as 61 / 91 / 107 / 160 / 172 bar.
He continues, “Based on the rising trend of high rise construction our new products also includes, 1000 & 1400 series stationery pumps for ready mix concrete and specialized high pressure pumps as model 1400 HPD + stationery concrete pump. Featuring state of the art latest generation S-valve – ‘Transfer Tube Technology’ and inbuilt sensors, the operator can analyze various functionality of this pump while in operation. This can help the operator adjust the quick settings or undertake any brief preventive maintenance. The 1000 and 1400 series stationery pumps can pump concrete at a vertical height between 120-150-170 and even to 250 meters backed with high pressure @ 172 bar.”
Mr. Salvi says, “Aquarius pumps are fitted with reliable hydraulics. Ease of maintenance at the job site and ease interchangeability of fast moving spares across any series model enables the owner and the operator to maintain minimal inventory makes them cost competitive to own and operate.”
Product support by Aquarius, the Pune based concrete equipment manufacturer is rendered through its own regional offices and warehouses located across the country. Aquarius has its production facilities in Pune and Goa.
Introduction of new concrete pumps with advanced feature is expected to drive sales for the manufacturers in a market where there is an excess supply of existing equipment. However, for increasing the acceptability of the newer pumps, it will be vital for OEMs to render appropriate product support for the pumps in high rise projects, especially by way of operation and training.
NBM&CW May 2017
