Georg Huber Betonsteine chooses EIRICH for its core concrete production
The quality demands placed on concrete products – e.g. paving stones, slabs, block steps, palisades, or masonry blocks – are constantly increasing. Whereas in the past the only criterion that mattered was functionality, today there are often aesthetic considerations that will sway individual purchase decisions. Here, it is also important to ensure that fluctuations in appearance are kept as minimal as possible over long periods of time. In this context, Eirich mixers offer great advantages by the very nature of their design. This is why Georg Huber Betonsteine GmbH from Altomünster in Germany now also decided to use Eirich mixers for the production of core concrete.
Concrete products usually consist of two layers / two different types of concrete: the facing concrete, which is designed make the surface look appealing, and the core concrete underneath. The facing concrete gives the product its color and creates the visual appearance of the surface, while the core concrete is responsible for delivering the required strength of the concrete blocks. The challenges posed by the preparation of facing concrete have been well known to manufacturers of concrete products for around 50 years. Any imperfections in the facing will mean that the affected component is rejected. This is why many manufacturers use Eirich mixers for the preparation of facing concrete, while simple mixers – such as ring trough mixers or planetary mixers – are considered to be adequate for the core concrete. However, a trend has emerged in recent years for the best available mixing technology– i.e. Eirich mixers – to also be used for the core concrete.
Core concrete production in the best quality – this is what Georg Huber Betonsteine has opted for. The company believes that not enough importance is attributed to core concrete, and that core concrete is an important parameter in determining the cost effectiveness of its products. It has already been using an Eirich mixer to prepare its facing concrete for 17 years. The company is justified in its claim: “HUBER BETONWERK – for over 100 years the name for quality, innovation and progress for concrete products.” And: “The constantly growing demand for new products, surfaces, colors, and shapes demands that we keep finding new ways and new ideas.”
As well as a mixer of type D23-2 (usable capacity of 2250 liters), Eirich also supplied a scale, conveyor equipment, and silos. Installation was performed by the customer, and the system was taken into operation in March 2021. It was quickly discovered that, thanks to improved disintegration of the material, around 10 liters more mixing water per m3 could be added to the concrete without the products swelling or bulging. Similarly, the moisture of the dry mix only needs to be measured on every second mixture – during the subsequent mixing process, the system is operated simply with a dry mixing time of 5 s, and the same amount of water that was determined for the previous mixture is added. This leads to a significant improvement in productivity, as nearly a whole minute is saved on every second mixture – without any disadvantages whatsoever.
Switching over the core concrete production to an Eirich mixer will enable Georg Huber Betonsteine to manufacture even better and more uniform products, as well as helping them to continue to develop new products and further strengthen the competitiveness of the family-run company.
Further information:
Contact: Stefan Berberich, e-mail: stefan.berberich@eirich.de