What is a Central Mix Concrete Plant?
A central mix concrete plant is also known as a wet concrete batching plant. It means that all the raw materials for processing concrete – including cement, fly ash, sand, water, and additives are weighed and mixed in a central mixing machine.
Once the mixing is complete and wet concrete is produced, it is transported by concrete mixer trucks to the job sites.
Related: Wet Concrete Batching Plant
How Much Does a Central Mix Concrete Plant Cost?
The cost of Luton’s central mix concrete plant starts from as low as $16,000 to $290,000. The price range is due to the different factors such as – equipment configuration, type of mixing station, production capacity, and quality. Hence, the actual costs can be calculated only after obtaining customer needs and requirements.
In general, there are two aspects that determine the cost of concrete mixing plant –
- Initial investment – This includes the capital invested, (fixed costs – which are higher) for buying the concrete batch plant, cost of land, or rent of the land
- Operating costs – This includes the variable costs for running and cost of maintaining the plant. While small concrete batching plants require less staff and are easier to maintain, large concrete bath plants occupy large portions of land and require more staff – thus the labor cost will be higher.
Technical Parameters of Central Mix Concrete Plants
|
Model |
HZS60 |
HZS90 |
HZS120 |
HZS180 |
|
Capacity |
60m3/h |
90m3/h |
120m3/h |
180m3/h |
|
Mixing system |
Twin-shaft concrete mixer |
|||
|
Discharging height |
3900mm |
3900mm |
3900mm |
4000mm |
|
After-sale service |
Erection & commissioning, operator training |
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|
Warranty |
12 months after erection |
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|
Concrete mixer |
JS1000 |
JS1500 |
JS2000 |
JS3000 |
|
Discharging volume |
1000L |
1500L |
2000L |
3000L |
|
Mixing cycle |
60S |
60s |
60s |
60s |
|
Max. mixing size |
100/80mm |
100/80mm |
100/80mm |
120/80mm |
|
Aggregate batching machine |
PLD1600 |
PLD2400 |
PLD3200 |
PLD4800 |
|
Storage bins quantity |
2 or 3 or 4 sorts |
3 or 4 sorts |
3 or 4 or 5 or 6 sorts |
3 or 4 or 5 or 6 sorts |
|
Aggregate feeding to mixer by |
Belt conveyor |
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What is the Difference Between Ready Mix Plant & Central Mix Concrete Plant?
A ready mix plant is also known as a concrete batching plant. It includes –
- Transit mix – dry-type ready mix station or dry-type ready mix station (mixed completely in a truck mixer during transit/transport to the job site)
- Central mix plant – wet concrete batch plant (has a central mixer and mixed completely in a stationary mixing plant and then transported)
The central mix plant is one type of ready mix plant.
Related: Ready Mix Concrete Batching Plant
Dry Ready Mix Plant VS. Wet Ready Mix Concrete Plant
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Dry Ready Mix Concrete Plant
A Dry ready mix concrete plant also known as dry mix concrete plant, transit mix plant or truck mixed concrete plant.
In a transit mix concrete plant, all of the raw ingredients required to produce concrete are loaded directly into the truck mixer. It does not involve a mixing plant.
The water is kept separate in water tanks from the dry ingredients (cement and aggregates) and the driver introduces water to the mix as required during transit. Also, during loading into the transit mix truck, the mixer drum is rotated at charging speed.
This saves mixing time because concrete is actually produced during transit to the construction site.
Three methods for mixing concrete in a truck mixer are:
1. Concrete mixed at the job site – The dry ingredients are batched and loaded into the truck mixer and transported to the job site. During transit, the drum rotates at a slow speed agitating the aggregate mixture. Upon arrival at the site, the content is properly mixed in the truck mixer to produce concrete.
2. Concrete mixed in the yard – Mixing concrete in the yard is the most common way to produce concrete in a transit mix plant.
In this case, the mixing drum is spun in the yard at a high speed of about 70 revolutions, at 12-18 revolutions per minute before it is transferred into the transit truck.
Since the mixing is completed at the yard, this procedure permits the batch team to inspect the slump and air of the batch and make necessary adjustments, if required, before transporting it to the site. During transit to the site, the concrete is agitated slowly.
3. Concrete mixed in transit – Here, the concrete is produced during transit to the job site. While driving to the construction site, the mixer drum is turned at a medium speed and then slowed to the agitating speed.
This process helps in saving fuel and reduces the wear and tear of the drum. Also, over-mixing of the concrete can be avoided.
The downside, however, is that the operator cannot check the batch completely prior to leaving the central plant.
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Wet batch ready mix concrete plant
In the wet concrete plant, all aggregates such as sand, coal, and fly ash are weighed and fed to the mixing machine.
At the same time, water and additives are also weighed and fed to the main mixing machine through their individual pumping systems as well as cement from the silo is transported to the mixing machine.
All the ingredients are combined in the main mixing machine for the set duration. Once the mixing is complete, the concrete produced is loaded into the truck tanker and transported to the job site.
Realted: Dry concrete batching plant
Difference Between Dry Ready Mixing Plants & Wet Ready Mixing Plants
- One of the main differences between the wet mix plant (central mix concrete plant) and a dry mix plant is the consistency of the concrete produced.
- The wet mixing plant has a central mixer which offers a more consistent mix quality.
- The dry mixing plant usually sees more break strength standard deviation and also variations from load to load due to inconsistencies in the duration of mixing, the condition of mixing blade and drum of the truck, traffic conditions during transport, etc.
- Dry mixing plants do not have a mixing machine and mixing takes place during transit. Whereas, in a wet mixing plant, the mixing takes place in the main mixing machine of the central plant.
- Wet mixing can be done in a short period of time, generally 60s or less, and offers consistent mixture.
- In a central mix concrete plant, all the batches undergo the same mixing action and also undergo the quality control process prior to loading to the transport trucks. The quality control process is not possible in dry mix plants as the mixing process takes place during transit.
- Wet mixing station is suitable for projects with high concrete quality requirements or commercial concrete mixing plants. On the other hand, the dry concrete mixing station is suitable for projects that do not have strict requirements for concrete quality standards and require long-distance transportation.
What are the Advantages of a Central Mix Concrete Plant?
Some of the advantages of central-mixed concrete plants are:
- Better quality control of mixed concrete
- Consistency of the concrete produced in each batch remains the same
- Higher production capability due to the size of the plant
- Faster batching and concrete production
- Reduced wear and tear of the mixer drums of the truck
The biggest advantage is that the quality of the concrete mix can be monitored for any variance prior to unloading them from the mixing machine to the transport tanker.
Features of Central Concrete Mix Plants
- The central mix concrete plant is equipped with a JS series twin-shaft concrete mixer with good mixing homogeneity of the concrete.
- This enables high mixing uniformity and high productivity and can complete good mixing in ideal time for dry, semi-dry, plastic concrete, lightweight aggregates, and various other proportions of concrete.
- With the compact structure and modular organization, it is convenient for transport and quick disassembly and assembly. This also meets the requirements of container transport.
Usage of Central Mix Concrete Plant
A large concrete central mixing plant can produce hundreds of cubic meters of concrete per hour, and thousands of cubic meters of concrete per day.
Due to its large production capacity and high working efficiency, the central mixing plant is extensively used in medium and large-scale construction projects. They are suitable for road, bridge, railway, and other projects.
The central concrete batch plant is the ideal equipment for central mix concrete producers who desire to manufacture concrete in their own facilities and sell it to other concrete users and construction companies.
Also Read:Â Ready mix concrete plant setup cost
What is the Central Concrete Mixer Plant Operation Procedure?
The Luton concrete central concrete mixer plant mainly consists of five systems – batching system, weighing system, conveying system, mixing machine, and control system.
The operation procedure of the concrete batching plant is as follows:
- Aggregate (gravel or sand) is loaded into the storage silo by a loader machine, and the aggregate is discharged into the weighing hopper.
- After weighing, the aggregate is conveyed to the hopper through the conveyor belt. The aggregate is then transported to the waiting hopper on the mixer by the belt conveyor.
- Meanwhile, cement and fly ash is transported into the respective weighing hoppers by screw conveyor; water and additives are transported into respective weighing hoppers by their respective pipelines.
- After weighing, all these materials are fed into the mixer by the control system.
- After mixing, the unloading door is opened and the concrete is unloaded into the truck tanker.
How Long is The Concrete Mixing Time?
|
Type of mixer |
Mixer capacity （L） |
Concrete slump (mm) |
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|
<30 |
30-70 |
>70 |
||
|
Minimum mixing time of concrete (min) |
||||
|
Gravity type |
≤400 |
2.0 |
1.5 |
1.0 |
|
≤800 |
2.5 |
2.0 |
1.5 |
|
|
≤1200 |
– |
2.5 |
1.5 |
|
|
Forced batch type |
≤400 |
1.5 |
1.0 |
1.0 |
|
≤1500 |
2.5 |
1.5 |
1.5 |
|
- When mixing fine sand with concrete or when mixing concrete with additives, the mixing time required is about 1-2 minutes.
- The admixture should be mixed into a solution with appropriate concentration before being added.
- The loading quantity of the mixer shall not be greater than 110% of the standard quantity of the mixer.
- The stir time is calculated from the stir and the addition of water.
After mixing, the operation is as follows:
- According to the test requirements, immediately after mixing, measure the slump or shape of the test piece.
- All operations must be completed within 30 minutes from the time water is added.
What is a Portable Central Mix Concrete Plant?
A portable concrete mixing plant is also known as a mobile concrete mixing plant because of its ability to be moved from one job site to another. It is a machine that produces concrete when raw material is fed into it.
The portable or mobile concrete central mix plants are mounted on trailers or skid-mounted systems that are set up for short-term concrete production.
A portable plant is such that it can perform all the functions that a fixed full-automatic mixing station can perform such as processes, operation modes, and maintenance.
Although they may not be as efficient or productive as larger stationary plants, they are easily deployable to remote job sites.
For large projects such as paving applications, major highway projects, and airport projects, the plant can be moved once the project is complete.
Who is the Right Central Mix Concrete Plant Manufacturer?
Luton Group is a leading central mix concrete plant supplier in China. It is a professional manufacturer; integrating research and development, production, and sales.
Luton’s central mix concrete plants have performed extremely well in mixing high-quality concrete with the production exceeding our expectations.
Thanks to our design and manufacturing department, we are able to produce high-quality concrete mixing equipment to serve our customer requirements better.
Our customers are extremely happy and satisfied with the ease of assembly of the plants, the high level of product support received, and the excellence in the design and manufacturing of these plants.
All our concrete batching products have obtained the highest level certifications in the industry. We believe in creating a full-scale solution for your concrete batching equipment needs.
If you have any questions regarding our products, feel free to contact us to save your time and to get the best rates.
Our sales and engineering staff will get in touch with you and your teams to custom engineer a tailored solution that best suits your needs.
With a wide selection of quality batch plant and material handling equipment solutions, Luton Group is able to deliver unmatched service to meet your needs.
