Optional Equipment

Many construction and manufacturing companies face daily operational challenges concentrated in three key steps: cement storage, material conveying and precise feeding. These seemingly minor operational issues can accumulate over time, directly increasing production costs and slowing down project progress.

A mature cement handling system complies with standard material flow logic. Each component performs a specific function and works seamlessly with other equipment, forming a fully automated, closed-loop material handling system that requires minimal manual intervention and integrates easily into various automated production lines.

Step 1: cement storage

Bulk cement is pneumatically conveyed via dedicated feeding pipelines within a fully enclosed system and stored inside the cement silo. The sealing structure, dust collection system, and fluidizing device will work simultaneously to isolate external moisture and dust and keep the stored cement dry. Equipped with a level monitoring device, operators can have real-time visibility into the remaining material level.

Step 2: Precise material control process

The bottom of the cement silo is connected to a cement feeder so that the equipment can evenly and consistently discharge cement according to the batching demands of the production line. Compared with manual batching, automatic feeder dosing has high stability to ensure the precise dosing of every batch of material.

Step 3: Conveying process

The metered, discharged cement is conveyed by a screw conveyor horizontally or at an incline. The internal screw flights rotate at a uniform speed without clogging or feed interruption.

Given that some construction sites are narrow or feature elevated inlets on the batching plant, using the bucket cement feeder completes the vertical conveying process. It features a small footprint and can lift cement to elevated mixing equipment, making it ideal for any limited sites.

Finally, the materials are conveyed precisely to the concrete batching plant, completing the entire process. Each component operates in coordination, effectively eliminating the low efficiency and faults associated with labor.

1. Cement silo: large-scale closed storage core equipment

The cement silo is the foundational equipment of the entire handling system. Its core function is to store bulk cement, fly ash, lime, and other powdery building materials to replace the rudimentary storage method of traditional bag stacking. The equipment adopts a fully enclosed steel structure design, which has excellent moisture-proof and dust-proof performance, and can maintain the dry state of raw materials for a long time.

The vibrators, aeration pads and dust removal devices installed on the silo can solve common problems such as material clumps, bridging, and silo blockage. The level indicator can monitor the remaining material level in the warehouse in real time, preventing spillage or running empty, and ensuring the stability and order of the material storage link.

2. Screw conveyor: stable enclosed material conveying equipment

The screw conveyor is the core equipment for the transportation of powdery materials, which is specially designed for the horizontal or small-angle inclined conveying of cement, fly ash, dry sand, and other bulk materials. The equipment structure is compact, and the entire assembly is designed as a closed tube. There is no dust leakage during operation, and the operating environment is clean.

The equipment relies on a motor to drive the spiral screw flights to rotate at a uniform speed, and the axial thrust of the flights drives the material forward. The conveying process is continuous and uniform, and there will be no problem of material spilling or surging. For highly fluid powdery materials, it can be designed with a short pitch structure to effectively prevent material flushing and adapt to inclined conveying conditions.

3. Cement feeder: production line accurate feeding control equipment

The cement feeder is mainly responsible for the quantitative control of materials. It is installed at the outlet of the cement silo and is a key equipment to ensure the accuracy of the concrete mix design. It can accurately adjust the discharge speed and feed rate of the material, so that the cement feeding rhythm exactly matches the operating cycle of the mixing equipment.

In the automated production process, the feeder can cooperate with the control system to realize the continuous feeding at a uniform speed, which completely solves the problem of manual feeding rate inconsistencies and inaccurate dosing. The stable flow of material can keep the mix ratio of each batch of concrete consistent and effectively reduce the quality fluctuation of the finished product.

Choosing a cement handling equipment does not mean need to pursue high specifications or large capacity blindly. Instead, the equipment should fit the production scale, site conditions, and material needs to find the most suitable equipment that has practicability and cost-effectiveness.

Determine the cement silo capacity based on the daily production volume

• Small-scale construction sites and precast plants have low daily cement consumption. A capacity of 50-100 tons can meet their needs while avoiding idle equipment.

• For medium-size operations, it is more ideal to have 100-200 tons of cement storage, which can ensure the daily continuous production.

• For large production lines, EPDAS recommends silos larger than 200 tons to reduce cement replenishment frequency and downtime.

Considering conveying distance and site layout

• Organized production lines, where aggregate conveying is conducted over horizontal or short inclined distances  ———–Screw conveyor.

Reasons: High stability, convenient maintenance, and high cost-effectiveness.

Fine-tune the equipment configuration based on material characteristics

• Ordinary dry powder like cement and fly ash ———–Standard models.

• If the working environment has high moisture and materials are easy to clump, it needs to match with a vibrator and aeration pad, reinforcing the sealing structure to ensure the flowability of the aggregates.

• High precision demands of applications——— Equipping with a high-precision cement feeder.