Concrete Plant – A Must-Have for Every Builder
Builders recognise the need for a concrete mixing plant to their construction projects. Construction sites use concrete in several parts of the project, and builders need to have a constant fresh supply of this material. Having a concrete plant near your site lets you save on fuel, manpower, and resources by reducing the requirement for trucks and reducing transport time.
A concrete mixing plant, also called a batching plant, can accommodate huge amounts of sand, gravel, water, and rocks to create big batches of fresh concrete. There are two types of mixing plants: the ready-mix batch plants and the central-mix batch plants.
What is a Ready-Mix Batch Plant?
A ready-mix batch plant combines all ingredients needed in making concrete, with the exception of water. Operators add water to the mixture after transferring it to mixing trucks. These trucks have a drum which turns while moving the concrete, blending all ingredients together while going to the construction site.
You’ve got three different mixing options when using ready-mix concrete. You may opt to set the mixer at slow speed while on the road, and increase the speed at least five minutes before use. You can also mix the concrete at the mixing yard and put the drum rotation on slow speed during transportation. Lastly, you may mix all ingredients and turn the drum at medium speed throughout delivery. The concrete will be completely mixed and ready for use when you get to the job site.
What is a Central-Mix Batch Plant?
Central-mix batch plants are a sort of concrete plant that combines and mixes all ingredients before transferring concrete to mixing trucks. They use fixed plant-mounted mixers where you place the ingredients of concrete, including water. Central-mix plants then churn everything into concrete, after which you can transfer it to trucks. The truck mixer merely needs to agitate it slightly during transport to keep the concrete fresh.
Which one should you use for your project?
Your choice is determined by your preference and distance from the job site. Ready-mix batch plants, or “dry batch,” are perfect if the plant is farther away from the construction. Adding the water later allows you to have a fresh batch of concrete. Central-mix batch plants or “wet batch,” however, are perfect if you can set it up as near to the construction site as possible. These mixing plants yield more high-quality cement as they produce a more consistent mixture. Central-mix plants also produce more concrete mixtures faster than trucks because a mixer truck’s drum has limited space. Finally, the mixing trucks are going to have longer life when you use central-mix batch plants. You won’t put too much strain on the drums by raising the speed. Your trucks will endure wear and tear more than when you use them alongside ready-mix batch plants.
The type of concrete mixing plant you choose would be determined by your project’s time line, the quality of cement you need, and your budget. Ensure you think about these carefully when choosing a batching plant.
Carolyn Loomis is a home builder who makes use of both ready-mix concrete plant and central-mix concrete mixing plant.
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