CONCRETE PIPES AND MANHOLES

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1 Concrete Plant International OCTOBER CONCRETE PIPES AND MANHOLES Inland Pipe installs manhole production in new automated plant SPECIAL PRINT CPI 10/05

CONCRETE PIPES AND MANHOLES HawkeyePedershaab, Mediapolis, Iowa, 52637, USA Inland Pipe installs manhole production in new automated plant Inland Pipe has completed construction of a fully automated

Located in Calgary, Alberta, the plant was built to serve Inland Pipe s Alberta and Saskatchewan market areas and is used to manufacture concrete pipe and manholes up to 1500mm diameter.

2 CONCRETE PIPES AND MANHOLES HawkeyePedershaab, Mediapolis, Iowa, 52637, USA Inland Pipe installs manhole production in new automated plant Inland Pipe has completed construction of a fully automated pipe and manhole plant. Located in Calgary, Alberta, the plant was built to serve Inland Pipe s Alberta and Saskatchewan market areas and is used to manufacture concrete pipe and manholes up to 1500mm diameter. Inland Pipe is a division of Lehigh Hanson Materials, owned internationally by Heidelberg Cement. Inland Pipe has five plants in Western Canada. Their new Calgary plant incorporates the latest in automated manufacturing technology and was designed with production capability to meet the current and future demands of their growing market. Inland Pipe s new 84,000 square foot plant houses automated pipe and manhole manufacturing machines, an integrated moving floor system with continuous curing kilns, and automated robotics to post-process the finished products and joint rings. For the efficient manufacture of their manhole products, Inland Pipe chose a HawkeyePedershaab Model 150 Kast - master. To further keep their labor requirements to a minimum, the Kastmaster was also integrated with their plant s automated product and joint ring handling system. The Kastmaster s unique inline production sequence makes it possible for just one person to monitor Inland Pipe s entire manhole manufacturing process. This includes the insertion of step rungs, lifting devices, and the placement of reinforcement. The Kastmaster is presently used to manufacture 1200mm diameter manhole riser and cone sections in various lengths up to 2 meters. Future additional products that can be manufactured on the Kastmaster include flat top, catch basin, and base sections. Automated Inline Manufacturing Sequence Improve Production Flow The Kastmaster s integral dual shuttle system organizes both the flow of materials into the production station and the flow of finished products from the production station. This synchronous arrangement made it quite simple to integrate the Kastmaster with Inland Pipe s totally automatic factory, but the Kastmaster will work equally well as a stand-alone installation. The Kastmater s input/output shuttle process permits auxiliary manufacturing steps to be performed and prepared without delaying production at the Kastmaster s actual production station. The input shuttle receives the next pallet and permits the reinforcing steel to be pre-loaded, readying it for immediate use in the filling station. The output shuttle discharges finished products from the production station to immediately free the main production station for further production. Additionally, this sequential shuttle system permits all manufacturing steps to be performed in close proximity so that they can be easily monitored by a single machine operator. Totally Automatic Manhole Production The manhole manufacturing process begins with concrete being supplied to the Kastmaster from a central batching system. Load sensors built-into the Kastmaster holding hopper monitor the hopper s fill level and signal the batch plant for concrete, as required. Bottom groove forming pallets and top tongue forming headers are used in the production of manhole riser sections. The rings are presented to the Kastmaster in stacks from an automatic indoor pallet and header storage area. The pallets are individually fed to the Kastmaster s main pro- The new plant from Inland Pipe in Alberta HawkeyePedershaab Model 150 Kastmaster 2 CPI Concrete Plant International

CONCRETE PIPES AND MANHOLES Manholes are automatically manufactured with a Hawkeye- Pedershaab Model 150 Kastmaster and transferred to a

Magazine is used to automatically insert steps into the form s inner core. duction station via the machine s input shuttle.

The shuttle then sequences the pallet to automatically receive a hoop steel loading fixture and then to a station for the actual loading

The loading of the hoop steel reinforcement is performed by the machine monitor and occurs during the filling process so as not to

For the consistent production of precise spigots with a smooth surface finish, Inland Pipe chose to manufacture their products with tongue

A manipulator picks individual headers from a stack and Presshead forms the tongue of the product.

3 CONCRETE PIPES AND MANHOLES Manholes are automatically manufactured with a Hawkeye- Pedershaab Model 150 Kastmaster and transferred to a moving floor system. Machine monitor preloads manhole step rungs into a magazine. Magazine is used to automatically insert steps into the form s inner core. duction station via the machine s input shuttle. The shuttle automatically positions under a stack of pallets to receive the pallet. The shuttle then sequences the pallet to automatically receive a hoop steel loading fixture and then to a station for the actual loading of the hoop steel reinforcement. The loading of the hoop steel reinforcement is performed by the machine monitor and occurs during the filling process so as not to interrupt production. For the consistent production of precise spigots with a smooth surface finish, Inland Pipe chose to manufacture their products with tongue forming headers that stay-inplace throughout curing. A manipulator picks individual headers from a stack and Presshead forms the tongue of the product. Stay-in-place tongue forming headers are used to insure the production of consistently precise joints with excellent surface finishes. The Kastmaster s outfeed shuttle transports a finished product from the machine s production station. A manipulator picks the product from the shuttle and transports it to a moving floor system. An automatic manipulator picks products from the Kastmaster s outfeed shuttle and transports them to a moving floor system. HawkeyePedershaab curing chambers are used to cure the products. Chambers are sized to permit continuous Kastmaster production. CPI Concrete Plant International

A manipulator individually places pallets on the Kastmaster input shuttle. A HawkeyePedershaab D-Load Test Machine is used to test pipe strength.

The headers are automatically secured to the main pressing frame during the filling cycle so that they can be immediately pressed into the filled form set, thus adding no additional cycle time.

The jacket, elevated from the previous cycle, lowers and secures the pallet/reinforcement assembly.

4 A manipulator individually places pallets on the Kastmaster input shuttle. A HawkeyePedershaab D-Load Test Machine is used to test pipe strength. Unit includes a powered loader to simplify presentation of the pipe under the test frame. feeds them to the Kastmaster. The headers are automatically secured to the main pressing frame during the filling cycle so that they can be immediately pressed into the filled form set, thus adding no additional cycle time. Upon discharge of the justmanufactured product, the input shuttle sequences the pre-loaded pallet/reinforcement assembly into the main production station. The jacket, elevated from the previous cycle, lowers and secures the pallet/reinforcement assembly. Hydraulic blades mounted to the form s external jacket simultaneously secure the hoop steel reinforcement and hold it in the proper position. At the same time, manhole steps are automatically loaded into the core of the form set and secured. A step magazine, preloaded during the filling cycle by the machine monitor, inserts the steps into the core s lokking/holding mechanism. Pipes are hydrostatically tested with a tester supplied by HawkeyePedershaab. Tester accommodates three pipe and has the capability to differentially load the joints. The Kastmaster s input shuttle indexes back to the pallet loading station, revealing the recessed, inner form core. The jacket/pallet/reinforcement are lowered over the core, readying the form set for the next filling cycle. A feed pan advances over the form top and the filling and vibration of concrete commences. Concrete feed rates and vibration settings are computer-controlled and are individually set for each product type and size. After the form set is filled, the feed pan retracts and the stay-in-place header is pressed into the filled form. After heading, the Kastmaster s main pressing beam vertically offbears the jacket and product from the recessed core. The outfeed shuttle sequences into the main production station to receive the just-manufactured product. The jacket sets the finished product on the outfeed shuttle, releases the product, and then elevates to deposit the finished product on the outfeed shuttle for transport to the offloading station. An automatic manipulator picks finished products from the outfeed shuttle and transports them to a moving floor system. Upon filling of the moving floor cart, products are moved into a curing chamber sized to permit continuous operation. Steam is used to provide an ideal curing environment of moisture and heat. The steam is introduced into the curing chambers by the use of Johnson Gas CurePak Steam Generators. Addi - tionally, air handlers circulate the moisture and heat from the floor to the top of the kiln to provide a consistent curing environment. The operation of the moving floor, the kiln s hi-speed entrance and exit doors, and the curing settings are all computer-controlled at the Kastmaster. After curing, products are presented to a robotic system for the automatic removal of the bottom pallet and top header. The pallet and header are removed, cleaned, oiled, and transported by an automatic manipulator to an indoor storage area or back to the Kastmaster for further produc - tion. The finished manhole products are set on a conveyor system and conveyed outdoors for yarding. Inland Pipe s new Calgary operation brings together the latest technology to efficiently manufacture pipe and manhole products. Their investment in plant and equipment demonstrates their commitment to be an industry leader in providing quality products to their market. FURTHER INFORMATION Inland Pipe Limited Street SE Calgary, AB, Canada T F The Hawkeye Group 506 S. Wapello St. Mediapolis, Iowa, USA T F info@hawkeye-pipe.com 4 CPI Concrete Plant International

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