Featuring some of the most advanced concrete mixing technologies. 

Keeping pace with rapid economic development and urbanisation, the construction industry in India has recorded a spectacular growth rate in the past few decades. Further, increasing investments in affordable housing segment and logistics infrastructure will drive growth in near future. All this will drive demand for concrete which leads to the demand of concrete equipment.

Mixing technology is certainly the most critical phase of the concrete production process and the quality of the concrete depends heavily on the quality of the mixer. Here we present you some of the most advanced concrete mixing technologies available in the market today.

Planetary Mixer with superior mixing flow

Ajax Fiori is a leading concrete machinery manufacturer with a range of solutions including self-loading concrete mixers, batching plants and pumps. Explaining the company’s strategy, Debasis Bhattacharya, Head – Sales, Marketing & Product Support, Ajax Fiori Engineering (I) Pvt Ltd, said, “Ajax Fiori is always striving to bring to the market innovative, modern technology, superior quality, versatile, yet simple and cost effective solutions through its world-class construction equipment, to cater particularly to the concreting sector.”

Ajax Fiori has also established itself in the Batching Plant arena, offering its customers in various technologies and capacities yet compact in design, apart from the dominance in Self Loading Concrete Mixer.

Ajax Fiori’s Batching Plant comes with a Planetary Mixer as standard supply and due to the efficiency of the compulsory mixing action, the planetary mixers meet the requirements of various production processes. The mixing flow is highly efficient due to integrated action of central stars combined with different peripheral scrapers.

Bhattacharya outlines the USP of Ajax Fiori Planetary Mixer as follows:

High efficiency in mixing: This is possibly the most attractive features with regards to the planetary concrete mixer. The mixer includes an extremely high efficiency, attributed with the mixing arms that move ahead a sophisticated track. The gear box ideally controls these arms. These unique structures offer more efficiency than other machines when it comes to concrete mixing.

Homogeneous mixing: The mixing blades from the planetary mixer consist of various teams of mixing arms and so ensure great performance. These arms cover the full mixing area, and also this guarantees complete and proper mixing process. Therefore, homogeneous mixing may be ascertained using this piece of equipment.Ease of maintenance: The transmission system with this mixer is positioned towards the top of the mixing drum and hence it is easy to undergo maintenance standing from the platform, unlike in other it is bottom mounted.

Water sprayer: The planetary mixer ideally has an exclusive sort of sprayer which ensures equal distribution water along the materials.

Multiple discharging methods: This mixer has options of various discharging styles including doors that can be operated manually, hydraulically (or) pneumatically based on the site requirement.

“The one big advantage of Planetary Mixer compared to other available mixing technologies is that it can adapt all segments from various construction projects to ready-mix concrete (RMC) and precast industries,” Bhattacharya claims.

Indigenised Concrete Block Machine

Columbia pioneered the first semi-automatic, hydraulically operated block machine over 75 years ago with the unique Columbia Vibration Technology (CVT). Columbia’s patented vibration technology, CVT, according to the manufacturer, enables producers to create the highest quality and widest range of products in the world. “Today, with over 15 years of local manufacturing at Vadodara in Gujarat, we offer the most versatile, innovative concrete products equipment in the industry,” said Upendra Mujumdar, Head – Sales & Marketing, Columbia Machine Engineering India Pvt Ltd. “In India, our existing Concrete Product Machine Model SPM20 provides customers a plant with an ideal combination of a high technology machine with medium capacity and low investment in pallet and product handling. Its simplicity and ease of installation/dismantling makes it an ideal solution for project works.”

In 2016, Columbia launched Concrete Block Machine Model SPM30, which is bigger and better than its flagship Model SPM20 machine, Mujumdar observes. The manual pallet and product handling of the SPM20 plant will be replaced by an indigenously manufactured, fully automatic Rack Loader/Unloader along with a Plate Style Cuber for product cubing in SPM30. Both handling equipment use technology being introduced for the first time in India. This, according to Mujumdar, will drastically reduce manpower required while improving quality and efficiency at affordable costs. Columbia now also offers a very large capacity, fully automated, high technology Concrete Block Plant made in Poland by Techmatik, a Columbia company.

Planetary Mixers with high speed agitator

Sicoma Mixers India Pvt. Ltd. (SMIPL), a 100 per cent subsidiary of Sicoma s.r.l. of Italy, has introduced innovative concrete mixing technologies in the Indian market. Sharing his personal experience, Prashanth Kumar, Executive Director, Sicoma Mixers India Pvt Ltd said, “The most difficult concrete nowadays is UHPC (ultra high performance concrete) and UHPFRC (ultra-high performance fibre-reinforced concrete). In both cases, our Planetary Mixers, in some cases with the High Speed Agitator, give an incredible dispersion of cement into the mix due to the trajectory and the pattern followed by the arms (OMG SICOMA perfect mixing action).”

The high speed agitator is then extremely important to increase the shear and crush the lumps possibly created during the mixing as a consequence of the mix design which is rich of binders like cements and flyash.

Prashanth considers mixing action, gearbox completely designed and built in the company’s factory are the USP of Sicoma’s machines.

USPs of Sicoma’s Planetary Mixers MP

With 70 years of experience in mechanical field, Sicoma has created a gearbox virtually indestructible. The huge double horizontal design is robust and shock resistant. The wide horizontal oil bath is cool running and gives every gear optimum lubrication.

The unique trajectories followed by the arms cover frequently and uniformly the mixer floor, leaving no dead zones during the mixing action.

The tank is sturdy and robust for the heavy duty operation, lined with Ni-hard cast iron tiles, easy to access for cleaning and maintenance. Several accessories are available to optimise and adjust the mixer to the specific use: skip hoist for aggregates loading, high pressure washout, side access door, high speed agitator, rotating moisture probe.

Twin Shaft Mixer technology

KYB-Conmat Pvt Ltd has always believed in embracing the latest technology and bringing it to the fore in order to offer the best possible equipment and services to the customers. It’s most advanced technology would be the “Twin Shaft Mixer” technology. “We are the first company in India to introduce the Twin Shaft Mixer technology for lower capacity concrete batching plants beginning from 20 cubic metre per hour,” states Nagesh Kudwa, Director – Marketing, KYB-Conmat.

The company also claims to be the first company to introduce this technology for the mobile concrete batching plants. “KYB-Conmat stationary batching plants are known to be rugged, accurate, productive and dependable,” Kudwa said.

The Twin Shaft Mixer technology offered by KYB-Conmat in its concrete batching plants ensures faster mixing compared to other technologies. “About 85 per cent of the maximum mix quality, in terms of compressive strength, constant slump, etc can be achieved in only 15 seconds of operation and 95 per cent homogeneity is achieved in another 15 seconds after that,” Kudwa said while explaining the USP of the company’s Twin Shaft Mixers.

He adds, “The inherent design of the mixer reduces the wear-and-tear of the tiles compared to other technologies. The mixing technology bring about a three dimensional motion due to the unique design of the equipment. Moreover, the technology requires minimal maintenance assuring of a continuous performance. The overall design of the equipment is quite sleek making it convenient for installation with lesser civil work involved.”

Customer centric batching plantGlobally, Schwing Stetter is recognised as one of the leading players in concrete equipment, with total concreting solutions provided to the varied customers around the world looking for innovations for the changing times. In India, it is a major player in the concreting equipment sector with long standing heritage and expertise.

“The advantages customers receive, from the Stetter mobile mixing plants are: Fast assembly and disassembly, easily accessible, economical, reliable, compact and easy to maintain, and no foundation required in certain capacities,” said V. G. Sakthikumar, Managing Director, Schwing Stetter Sales and Services Pvt Ltd. He is also the Chairman of Mechanisation Committee, Builders Association of India.

Today customers are looking for newer innovations to help them to cut costs. “We offer the customer, an innovative 30 cubic metre batching plant that will save them 15 per cent on the total installation cost in comparison to a typical 30 cubic metre batching plant,” Sakthikumar states.

Schwing Stetter’s brand new M30Z Batching plant is designed from the ground at its Irungattukottai plant. The new model is equipped with a pan mixer and can produce a concrete output of 30 cubic metre per hour. The concrete discharge height is 4 metres and can be operated at a voltage of 415 V. Control unit for this batching plant is MCI 70 version 3.1.

Besides, M30Z Batching plant also does not requires a ramp or conveyor to feed the concrete into the bins. The total installation altogether requires batching plant+civil work+conveyor+loader, and not to forget the power and water connection. Disruptive innovation is done here. “We are giving the customer, the choice of eliminating the foundation and offering one and only complete concreting solution,” Sakthikumar said.

Optional mounting of additional weighers like water and ice weighers are also provided. The ice weigher is used for the weighing of flake ice. At the bottom, the side walls are sloped outwards which ensures the complete discharge of the container.

The plant is delivered to the construction site on a semi trailer. Only a mobile crane is sufficient for the erection. It’s easy to erect, dismantle and transport because it’s a one unit on the whole.