ECHO Precast Engineering- How to Boost a Hollow Core Plant

With software, automation, and independent machinery, a hollow core plant can be augmented to become intelligent and offer many benefits to the users.

Boosting a hollow core plant is a good investment as it will increase efficiency, safety, and profit, save time, raise productivity, and enable full control of production.

An intelligent production plant is a highly precise and accurate site that has digitised the planning, production, and storage processes. These benefits allow an organized, controlled, and efficient production from start to finish. This has become possible through integrating technology of the ‘Industry 4.0’ concept with internet of things, system integration, connectivity, automation, big data, and cloud computing. To achieve this, one does not have to start from scratch as a working plant can gradually be upgraded with technology.

Boost a hollow core plant by adding these solutions to the production process:

• Independent battery driven machinery
• Automation
• Software

Independent machinery
An independent machine is one that is battery driven; it offers many benefits (such as the current need for social distancing), no cables (benefit of safety), health (no fumes), reduced downtime (more profitability) and less manpower (saves time and money).

ECHO Precast Engineering offers the most dynamic battery powered machines such as the SmartJet automatic plotter, fresh concrete saw, multi-functional trolley, and transport wagon.

The special FCS Saw cuts bars in fresh concrete and saves drastically on saw blades; it is more accurate, wireless, and independent.

The multi-functional trolley cleans the production beds, spray oils on the production beds (release agent), and pulls the strands/wires within approx. 45 minutes.

The transport wagon brings the finished prestressed elements to storage, and has a capacity of 30 to 60 tons.


Automation
A higher automated machine does not require an operator, which saves space and resources with less handling and lesser people in the plant. And all this with a higher output, more efficiency, and less errors.

However, to succeed in the usage of automatic machinery, the user company’s team will need to learn new skills to control planning as well as the machines. ECHO provides such training to their customers so that they can understand and make use of all the advantages.

It’s the details in the machines that are making all the difference. For example, the SmartJet plotter has safety and anti-collision sensors for additional security. The SmartJet can also plot with regular ink or special UV ink, and the automation helps to avoid many mistakes during the making of slabs.

ECHO’s state-of-the-art sawing machines (RAS & MAS) are also fully automated. They detect the lines made for the plotter and can run completely independently. The anti-collision sensors of these machines ensures maximum security of the people working in the plant.


Software
Software connects the machines to each other. For example, it is possible to synchronise the work of the extruder X-liner, the plotter SmartJet and the multi-angle saw machine to work autonomously on a production line.

All the sub-areas can be linked, and consistent transparency is guaranteed. In the precast concrete industry, the concept includes bi-directional linking of production machines with production planning and with the BIM model.

Intelligent systems enable smart production that supports workers in the best possible way. They can access the software from anywhere to control and edit data, when necessary.

Progress Software Development (member of the Progress Group) is a company dedicated to creating software solutions for the precast concrete industry. One of their creations is ebos® - a comprehensive solution for work preparation, production, and process analysis. It addresses all aspects of the manufacturing process - from start to finish.

The well-known stabos is another solution that can maintain and connect all data and information on the machines (which helps in predictive maintenance), and is accessible from anywhere.