EDGE Floor

Precast plant in Iraq, hollow core concrete slab production on an Elematic production line

The Elematic EDGE Floor is a highly automated precast production solution for factories that require an annual production capacity of 150 000 – 800 000 m². It can produce a wide range product types: extruded or slipformed hollow core slabs, pre-stressed ribbed and half slabs with a width of 1 200 mm and a thickness of 120 – 500 mm, as well as T-beams.

As with all Elematic production lines, the EDGE Floor can be, and almost always is, customized to suit the needs of a specific factory.

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EDGE Floor line*

Theoretical capacity	2880 m2/day (2 castings)
Personnel	Shift 1+2: 6+6
Production area	5000 m2
Land area	9000 m2
No. of beds	8 x 150 m
End product height	120-500 mm
End product width	1.2 m (1.5 and 2.4 m etc. also available)
*All figures are estimates

The Elematic EDGE Floor production line features state-of-the-art machinery and a high level of automation. For example, casting, digging openings and water holes, sawing and concrete transportation are all fully automatic.

TAKE A LOOK AT A 3D MODEL OF THE FACTORY CONCEPT

The EDGE automation solution can be integrated into compatible CAD or BIM software to support the entire workflow from building design to erection on the construction site. Project and product data can be automatically transferred to factory production planning systems.

The key machine on the production line, the Extruder E9, is the flagship of the best-in-the-industry Extruders. It offers an extremely high casting speed of 2.7 meters per minute and features a 2nd generation automatic compaction control system. Automatic compaction control ensures consistent and accurate slab geometry as well as a low number of rejected slabs. Other central machines are the automatic Saw and the automatic Modifier.

The whole process in EDGE Floor is managed and controlled with the world’s most advanced production planning system for precast plants, the Elematic Plant Control and its manufacturing execution part, the FloorMES.

As with other Elematic lines, the EDGE Floor features high-precision beds that have long-lasting steel surfaces and an integrated heating system to speed up curing and promote solid bonding between the concrete and pre-stressing strands.

The EDGE Floor requires a 5 000 m2 area for production and the total land area required for operation is 9 000 m2. It has 8 x 150 m beds and needs 6 + 6 (1+2 shifts) personnel to operate the line.

PROCESS DESCRIPTION

Precast slab production on the EDGE line takes place in 10 functional steps:

Batching and mixing
Concrete transportation
Concrete distribution
Bed preparation
Pre-stressing
Casting
Slab modifying
Curing
Cutting
Storing

The process starts with bed preparation, which is carried out by a Preparer. First, the Preparer cleans and oils the casting bed and then pulls the pre-stressing strands. The strands are then pre-stressed with a bundle stressing unit.

The casting machine is then lifted onto the bed and filled with concrete. The concrete itself is transported using a concrete transportation shuttle, which transports the concrete to the distributor and then onwards to the hopper of the casting machine. The automatic system ensures that there is always concrete in the hopper. A fully automatic Modifier then draws and digs markings and openings into the fresh slab. If the casting machine is equipped with a concrete recycling system, the surplus concrete is fed back into the casting process.
The slab is covered with a tarpaulin to maintain the optimal curing conditions for the slab. The curing process is controlled by a Maturity control system. After curing, the Saw is lifted onto the bed and the slabs are cut to length according to the production plan. The cut slabs are lifted from the bed and moved to storage.

SUSTAINABILITY

The EDGE Floor line is designed with environmental issues in mind. Firstly, cement use is minimized with efficient compaction by the Extruder casting machine and, secondly, surplus concrete is recycled back into the casting process. All machines on the line are equipped with high-efficiency gear motors to keep electricity consumption as low as possible.

The production process does not produce any toxic waste and it enables wastewater to be recycled.

SAFETY

All machines on the EDGE Floor line meet EC Machine Directive requirements. The machinery is designed to keep noise levels low and to enhance safety with their even outer surface. The Preparer and Saw are equipped with a dust reduction system. The line comes with thorough and clear user, maintenance and safety manuals in the required language.