HESS GROUP supplies the 4th concrete block and paver plant at Tobermore Concrete Products
April 1, 2021
Tobermore, the Northern Irish manufacturer of high-quality concrete products, has commissioned its fourth production plant with equipment from HESS GROUP machinery at its headquarters. The entire circulation system is designed for high performance – the prerequisites for this are created by the concrete block machine, a large pallet buffer, buffers on the dry and wet side, and a curing area with individual chambers. The circulation system operates continuously 24 h a day, achieving an actual annual capacity of around 1 million m² of concrete products.
It is already the fourth block plant with a concrete block machine by HESS GROUP that the leading Northern Irish concrete products manufacturer Tobermore has commissioned at the turn of the year 2020/2021. The investment of around 10 million British pounds (currently equivalent to almost 13 million euros or around 15 million US dollars) in Hall IV will increase the annual production volume at the companies headquarters in County Londonderry by 30 % (in total, Tobermore plans to invest 30 million British pounds as part of a growth program over the next four years – currently equivalent to around 38 million euros or around 46 million US dollars). Concrete products produced at the Tobermore site are sold primarily to both the domestic and commercial markets in Ireland, the UK and the Isle of Man, where demand for high-quality concrete products has grown steadily in recent years, according to Tobermore.
High performance, continuous operation
According to Tobermore‘s specifications, the entire fourth circulation system is designed for high performance and continuous operation without interruptions. This is ensured by the supplied equipment of HESS GROUP: RH 1500-4 MVA concrete block machine, a buffering system at the beginning of the wet side with 3,240 production pallets, one buffer car behind the elevator, and one in front of the lowerator on the wet side and on the dry side respectively, each with 17 stages (double discharge system) and 14 tons of capacity, and a curing chamber with 15 individual chambers of 510 pallets each and a total capacity of 7,650 production pallets.
The concrete block and paver machine RH 1500-4 MVA by HESS GROUP is the heart of the production plant.
The aforementioned components enable fast cycle times and a continuous, high throughput without interruptions – even if, for example, a problem should occur on the wet side and production should come to a standstill there, thanks to the two buffer cars on the wet and the dry side the finger car is free and can continue the process on the dry side for several hours.
„We run the plant in two 12-hour shifts, i.e. uninterrupted 24 hours a day. This gives us an annual production of around 1 million m² of paving,“ says Trevor Smyth, production works manager at Tobermore, who is responsible for the project.
Buffer with 3,240 production pallets at the beginning of the wet side.
The finger car transports fresh products to the curing chamber.
Einer von drei-Paketierern der HESS GROUP Servo 900 im Umlauf der Produktionshalle IV bei Tobermore
Concrete block machine with a minimum cycle time of 10.5 seconds
The heart of the block plant is the RH 1500-4 MVA concrete block machine supplied by HESS GROUP. The machine in the M version has been developed for high-performance applications. Depending on the product it can reach a minimum cycle time of 10.5 seconds. Although all cycle times are very short and the machine, therefore, performs very fast travel movements, the sequence of movements is very harmonious and gentle on the machine components. This is possible thanks to an intelligent interaction of control technology and high-performance hydraulics. All the axes of the tamper head, mould, and filler box are precisely controlled in their movements with a resolution of 1/10 mm. The axes also communicate with each other so that the travel movements overlap in a cycle time-optimized manner. In addition, the RH 1500-4 MVA concrete block machine at Tobermore is equipped with a coarse mix silo with double discharge and a face mix filler box planning roller. And the mould exchange takes place automatically, which is also advantageous for fast, continuous operation.
Trevor Smyth is very satisfied with the cooperation with the companies involved, including HESS GROUP and SR SCHINDLER. „There are always minor problems. But everyone involved has cooperated very well to get the plants up and running quickly and efficiently, “ says the Production Works Manager. The after-sales service of the companies involved can also be relied on, he says.
„The new block plant is now running extremely well and we are producing top quality products with it, “ says Smyth. With these high-quality concrete products, the company will continue to grow in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and on the Isle of Man in the coming years, he adds.
For the full article, see CPI Worldwide 2/2021: show article
