Advanced automation comes to the precast concrete industry
Automated production line.
Concrete pipe is one of the oldest
materials used in water
engineering projects, with a
history pre-dating the Roman
Empire. Now robotic engineering has
taken a futuristic leap of faith in the design
and quality control of concrete infrastructure
products.
Ontario Concrete Products (OCP)
has introduced its new 80,000 sq. ft.
plant and claims to have the world's most
advanced robotics and automation in the
precast concrete industry.
"Through this technology, mass production
can now come with quality assurance,
offering a consistency and quality
of product never before possible,"
said Brian Wood, President of Con Cast
Pipe, the manufacturing group behind
OCP.
Engineers and other professionals on
the first plant tour were impressed with
the speed of production and variety of
products manufactured.
An automated rebar machine takes
steel rods, shapes and welds them at
impressive speeds with virtually no human
assistance. In pipe manufacture,
the continuously controlled closed loop
curing cycle ensures uniform quality.
Every product must pass automatic
vacuum tests, ensuring that pipes and
manholes are watertight. Spigot ends
of pipe are automatically checked for
specified tolerance. After successfully
passing plant tests, products are automatically
marked.
Pipes are cured and ready in 24 hours.
Lifting anchors are directly cast into
the concrete product for easy and safe
installation at the job site. Manholes are
directly cast in step rungs, while rungs
are securely anchored and the manholes
are watertight. Standardized prebenched
monobases ensure high quality,
lower cost solutions for standard
channel configurations. The process
produces durable concrete suitable for
applications where products are exposed
to high levels of potentially aggressive
liquids. Smooth inside surfaces guarantee
hydraulic performance.
Automation allows rebar to be shaped, welded and stacked in minutes.
This state-of-the-art plant is said to
be unique in North America. Production
processes include state-of-the-art
robotics, laser testing and the ability and
flexibility to manufacture a wide range
of pipe, manhole, concrete boxes and
other infrastructure products with rapid
turnaround.
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