Quadra, 74130 Contamine-sur-Arve, France A multi-skill ... · PDF filesustainability that enable Celtys to accompany any kind of project ... into their lower position during this filling

CPI – Concrete Plant International – 2 | 2016 www.cpi-worldwide.com188

CONCRETE PRODUCTS & CAST STONE

Celtys pays great attention to the modernization and performanceof its manufacturing facilities. In 1998, Celtys solicited for the firsttime the manufacturer of equipment Quadra for commissioning acomplete production line designed for manufacturing blocks withthe block-machine type Quadra 6. Ever since, a strong partnershiphas been developed between these both companies. Featuring 4block making machines delivered by Quadra, the latest Quadra 6HP was commissioned in Carhaix that included state-of-the-art man-ufacturing and handling systems. Convinced in the reliability andthe performance of the equipment supplied by Quadra as thefrench market leader in equipment manufacturing, Celtys has recent-ly contracted Quadra for the replacement of a semi-dry productionline designed for the manufacture of railway-related products.Quadra has been developing this new range of equipment resultingin a wide range of products such as concrete manholes anddrainage systems.

Production of blocks, pavers and curbstones: equipment tailored to the manufacturing needs of the client

Celtys provides an extensive range of concrete products such asslabs, curbstones, pavers and blocks certified CE or NF. In order tomeet these manufacturing standards ensuring high-quality products,

the company has focused its investment on efficient and flexibleequipment capable of ensuring reliable production processes withconstant output qualities and versatile manufacturing conditions.The block machine Q6 HP and its additional equipment perfectlysatisfy these manufacturing requirements.

Batching and mixing plant: design and full realization performed by Quadra

Quadra, 74130 Contamine-sur-Arve, France

Since 1954, Celtys, a subsidiary of the Quéguinier Group and based in Brittany, France, has been developing, manufacturing and selling alarge range of concrete products designed for the construction and the landscaping industries. With 4 plants in operation, Celtys has been relying on its experience and its standing as one of the leading suppliers in the French market boasting a daily production that exceeds1,000 tons of products. ISO 9000 certified since 1993, Celtys has been building its growth and reputation on a specific quality approach system in order to provide its customers with products that comply with these standards in terms of reliability, safety and environmental protection aspects. In fact, the company’s product range offers numerous advantages in terms of aestheticism, product features and sustainability that enable Celtys to accompany any kind of project – from the simplest to the most advanced.

A multi-skill partner: commissioning a high-performance block makingmachine and a fully-automatic precast production line

Operating 4 plants, Celtys ensures a daily output that exceeds 1,000 tons of products.

Celtys plant upgrade in Carhaix with latest manufacturing and handling equipment.

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INNOVATIVE CONCRETE SOLUTIONS

Manufacturer of Equipment for the Concrete Industry

QUADRA 40 route de Findrol - 74130 Contamine-sur-Arve (France)

Tel. +33 4 50 03 92 21 - Fax. +33 4 50 03 69 97www.quadra-concrete.com

High technology Turnkey PlantBlock & Paving stone machine

State of the art handling system

Wet Cast & Precast Production lineComprehensive range of equipment for custom-made plant defi nition

FRENCH MANUFACTURER

QUADRA - 40 route de Findrol - 74130 Contamine-sur-Arve - France - Tel. +33 4 50 03 92 21 - Fax. +33 4 50 03 69 97

www.quadra-concrete.com

Come to visit us

BOOTH B1.21511-17 APRIL, MUNICH

One block-machine

will be on show

The batching and mixing plant was com-pleted Quadra.

This latest generation of plant is equippedwith a Kniele KKM1500 conical mixerboasting a 1.5 m3 capacity for the rapidmix and homogenization of core as well asfacing concrete. The mixer provides a quickdischarge of material, automatic cleaning,and easy maintenance. In addition to man-ufacturing a consistent and high-class con-crete, the mixer also allows for small batch-es (about 15% of mixer volume) which arethen quickly fed into the color mixing sys-tem.Celtys operates a color blending systemsupplied by the company KBH, designedfor the manufacture of colored concrete.The colormix is directly installed on the topof the face mix hopper. This device allowsthe configuration of customized colors forpavers and slabs enabling a mix of up to 6different colors within the hopper.The batching plant comprises 5 cementsilos. The storage hoppers can process upto 8 different aggregates. The concretefreshly manufactured is then transferred tothe block machine via a belt conveyor

which is driven by gear motors controlledby frequency converters. This system allowsfor a uniform mix within the hopper.

The mixing system is computer-controlledthat enables to continually follow the mixing process and the choice of desired

Color mix product range offered by Celtys.




manufacturing recipes. It also provides var-ious information regarding hopper fills andsilos and all other elements influencing con-crete quality. Finally, the pieces of equip-ment delivered by Quadra are fully galva-nized.

Block machine type Quadra 6 HPAs for the rest of the block making machin-ery delivered by Quadra, the Q6 HP fea-tures a streamlined configuration. Mountedon anti-vibration feet, the frame has beendesigned as a massive, single-piece steelstructure well protected from any vibratoryenergy input. No pit is required for themachine setup. Vibratory transmission tothe ground is avoided and the elevated andventilated design of the system permits easycleaning and maintenance as the vibratingmotors are located on one side of themachine..Designed to meet versatile and multi-prod-uct manufacturing requirements, the blockmachine Q6 HP provides outstanding pro-duction rates as well as high adaptability.The vibrating features are patented andenable the manufacture of products withhigh precision in terms of density, strength,weight and height within an optimal cycletime. These unique features have quicklyconvinced Celtys to ensure a perpetuationof its product quality. In terms of product

dimensioning, height was one of the partic-ular features that the new plant had to focuson. The challenge of this newly commis-sioned machine was to manufacture slabsof the dimensions 50 x 50 x 4 cm providingoutstanding quality levels.

The vibrating system included in Quadra’sunits also ensures a perfect product com-paction. The vibration system with “flexibleforce and speed” enables a more uniformand homogeneous fill across the entire sur-face of the mold. The retractable bars (patented system)located over the vibrating table are movedinto their lower position during this fillingoperation, thus resulting in maximum vibrat-ing amplitudes of the mold. This way, the fill-ing operation is perfectly carried out andoptimizes product density and consistency. During final vibration, the retractable barsare elevated to a defined height and act asthe product bottom reference. As regardsproduct top referencing, this is ensured bymeans of mechanical stops that secure thetamper head in a well defined and rigidposition. Final vibration is completed whenthe tamper head has reached thesemechanical stops. Whatever the height ofthe products, the tamper head will alwaysstop at the same position, thereby achiev-ing consistent height accuracy.

These unique technical features developedby Quadra offer innovative manufacturingconditions. The synergy between the elec-tronics, mechanics, automation, and systeminformation exchange aims at adjusting, foreach cycle, the manufacturing conditionswhich will be optimal for producing a first-class product. The mechatronics integratedin this machinery permits an all-inclusiveautomatic control and regulation of eachcycle ranging from initial mold filling set-tings to final vibration times. Therefore, theadjustments for filling the exact concretequantity into the mold are guaranteed to becarried out automatically from one cycle tothe subsequent one within an optimal cycletime.

Additionnal equipment designedfor high-end finishing Celtys managed to penetrate the market onaccount of product quality and originality interms of shape, color, texture and facing. Tothis end, the company has integrated addi-tional equipment that enables it to meet theexpectations of the most different markets.Employing a facing concrete mix system,Celtys is capable of manufacturing two-layer products with core concrete and fac-ing concrete. This equipment is fully remote-operated. Its forward movement andclamping toward the block machine is very

Block machine type Q6HP.


nks-demmerle

OUR KNOW-HOW= YOUR SUCCESS

Phone +49 6831 6344E-Mail [email protected] www.nks-demmerle.de

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quick. The unique features offered by this system offer a homoge-neous distribution of the facing concrete across the entire productsurface to produce a uniform outer appearance.A washing station has also been commissioned on the fresh productconveyor. This equipment aims at producing a high-end finishingensuring a great aesthetical appearance. As the production palletexits the block machine, it undergoes a surface treatment for with-drawing concrete aggregate grain. A trolley is equipped with waterhigh pressure water and air spraying spraying devices moving trans-versally. The treatment is carried out through water projection alongthe product and all across the surface of the panels carrying curb-stones, slabs or pavers. All settings that may have an impact on thefinal product makeup (distance, water pressure, speed, number ofpassages, inclination etc…) are configurable. The device has beendesigned in such a way that it just consumes a minimum amount ofwater.

A washing station has also been commissioned on the fresh productconveyor.

The washing station allows for high-class surface treatment.




State-of-the-art handling systemQuadra manufactures fully automated handling equipment whosemovements are programmed with precision in order to ensure con-tinuous productivity.

The finger car completes loading and unloading storage opera-tions. This equipment can handle up to 22 production pallets at thesame time. Equipped with WiFi, the finger car communicates withthe block machine and stores all the information on the products itis processing (type and number of product, day and time of manu-facture etc.). This communication permits calls addressed to the fin-ger car to unload the lowerator when it is full to subsequently trans-fer the products to the curing chambers.

The curing area boats a total capacity of 5,280 pallets and isequipped with a ventilated and humidity-controlled system thatensures sound and uniform curing. The position of the finger car iscontinuously monitored by a laser sensor and driven by servomotorsfor accurate platform positioning in front of the rails of the curingchamber, elevator and lowerator. The finger car is driven by gearmotors with frequency inverter in order to produce an automaticcontrol and regulation of speed such as gradual acceleration anddeceleration.

After a curing time of approximately 36 hours, the finger carretrieves the production pallets with cured products and moves themback to the lowerator. The pallets loaded with products are finallytransferred to the cubing station via a walking beam conveyor. Thistype of conveyor lifts and moves the pallets without any friction andwithout any wear and noise. The plastic production panels (1,400x 700 x 50 mm) are of the Uniplast Ultra type and were deliveredby Wasa.

With 6-axis operation, the cubing robot Kuka KR 1000 can handlea maximum payload of 1,000 kg. The pneumatic clamp is designedand manufactured by Quadra. The settings and recipes are easilychanged from the control desk with the operator inputting the num-ber of layers, the number of products per layer, and their positionson the pallet.

The particularity of this cubing solution provided by Quadra is thecommissioning of a conveyor that ensures product selection andgrouping. This tile conveyor allows for the sorting of products toadapt the palletizing to the size of the pallet or to the type of theproduct. In this way, this clamp ensures a 4-side clamping whichallows the definition of the exact number of products that the group-ing conveyor is to receive first before handling the remaining prod-ucts on the pallet.

The automatization of the production line also includes a gantry thatloads the line with pallets. With a capacity of 80 pallets subdividedinto 4 stacks, this gantry moves the clamp moving all along the line’slength. The clamp retrieves one pallet stored on the top of the stackto return it to the loading line. The commisioning of this automaticloading device allows for substantial autonomy in terms of time foroperators, i. e., between 2h30 and 3h00) during which they arenot busy loading the line.

The finger car can handle up to 22 pallets at the same time. Conveyor ensuring product selection and grouping.

Featuring 6 axes, the cubing robot Kuka KR 1000 can handle 1,000 kg.

Selection conveyor


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Finally, pallets with finished products aretransported outside to the storage platformvia a trolley carrying 2 finished cubes. Therail-guided trolley places the pallets on the42 meter dock. This system permits auto-matic storage of about 30 pallets outsidethe production hall. Consequently, palletscan be evacuated within 60-90 min withoutthe employment of any forklift transporting

them to the platform. This automatic pre-storage therefore provides organisationalflexibility and productivity.

Operator comfort and safety conditions :supervision vs handlingAs part of its approach aiming at top levelquality and continuous improvement, Celtysensures constant plant upgrades for the

preservation of operator health. The com-pany has therefore chosen a fully automat-ic line featuring the latest technologies interms of supervision.

At the heart of the facility is a sound proofinsulated cabin located at the center of theproduction line. Its glazed surface enablesthe operator to control the block machine

At the heart of the facility is a noise-insulated control cabin located in the middle of the production line.

Control cabin




while supervising the entire production linefrom manufacturing to cubing operations.

The line was commissioned with high-endcontrol software (PLC program) designedby Quadra visualizing the entire plant.Operators are capable of monitoring andsupervising the whole production cyclequickly and easily. A touchscreen makes itpossible to observe and adjust all parame-ters. A clearly structured, intuitive and user-friendly interface permits easy modificationof block machine settings. Reasons for pro-duction downtimes are described in detail,and the program structure makes it possibleto resume automatic cycles simply and rap-idly. Machine settings are stored andrecorded by production recipes to easilyretrieve manufacturing parameters associat-ed with individual product types.

This control system is also an indispensabletool for managing the overall productionprocess because its indicates operatingdata in progress (cycle time, filling level,daily production, output rates etc.) as wellas other information such as productiondowntimes and operations per each mold.

This production data is detailed and record-ed and may then by analyzed by the man-ufacturer to continuously optimize produc-tion output.

Fully automatic precast production line

Based on its 60 years experience, Celtysbenefits from the faith of leading local part-ners such as SNCF and RATP. Celtys manu-factures a very special range of productsspecifically designed for rail projects (drain-ing systems, concrete channels etc.) suit-able to any kind of public construction.

As part of this activity, Celtys has solicitedthe manufacturer of equipment Quadra forthe replacement of two semi-dry productionlines. The aim of this investment was toensure the full automatisation of theprocess. Supervised by only one operator,this new type of production line achieveshigher production outputs than the old one. Designed for manufacturing any kind of railproducts such as manholes or gutters, thistailor-made plant enables Celtys to manu-facture its entire product range with just oneinstallation.

The line consists of a manufacturing stationequipped with an automatic mold fillingand finishing unit, demoulding unit, stockingarea for pallets and a palletizing robot.

Filling station: automatic steel frame insertion

The modernization of the line focuses onautomatic mold filling. No physical effort isrequired as the filling of the mold and thefinishing of the products are performed bythe machine, thus ensuring production qual-ity and cycle time consistency.

The mold is placed on an fully electronical-ly controlled vibrating table. Vibrating fre-quency and force are automatically adjust-ed to cycle progression: filling, compaction,or finishing.

This station is equipped with a device ensur-ing the automatic steel frame insertion intothe mold. This automatic handling is com-pleted in hidden time to avoid a prolonga-tion of the cycle time. From a safe work-place, the operator can lower the steelframe into the template while the machine is

A clearly structured, intuitive and user-friendly interface permits easy modification of block machine settings.

Celtys manufactures a range of products specifically designed for rail projects.


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Automatic steel reinforcement insertion.

The curing area may receive up to 210 demoulding pallets dimensioned 5,450 x 1,250 x 220 mm.

operating in the automatic operation mode. Located before themold filling station, a gantry equipped with pneumatic clampsretrieves the steel frames that have been manually inserted andmoves them toward the mold waiting to be filled. The gantry stopsjust above the mold and lowers the steel frame into the mold.

The filling operation is carried out as follows. The concrete is storedin a hopper. A belt conveyor is continuously delivering fresh con-crete into a feeding box. This feeding box is moving in longitudinaldirection over the mold and a rotating arm guides the concrete todrop into the mold. According to the product type, a finishing is thenperformed by a trowelling disk.

Product curing The demoulding pallets dimensioned 5,450 x 1,250 x 220 mm pro-vide a molding surface of 5,250 x 1,150 mm and a maximumheight of 130 mm.




Following the finishing operation, a cranefeaturing a tilting device sets an empty pal-let onto the mold. Mold and pallet are nowclamped by the crane, raised and tilt by180° in the demolding station. The pallet isreleased and the mold slowly elevates todemold the product. The mold is then againtilt by 180° and returned to its home posi-tion to commence the next cycle. The palletwith fresh products is now taken up by astorage crane to be stacked. The storagearea may receive up to 210 demouldingpallets. The storage crane finally transportsthe pallet loaded with the products desig-nated for the drying area to the palletizingstation.

Robotic palletizingA Kuka PA 700 robot cubing has beenincluded in the palletizing station.Equipped with 4 axes, it can load 700 kg.This robot ensures the performance of 3activities: product handling and its position-ing on the pallet, empty pallet handling onthe conveyor, and the positioning of spac-ers between every layer of product. This robot is equipped with 2-side pneumat-ic clamps.

The commissioning of this robotic solutionaims at completing a uni-product cubingfrom multi-products panels. The panels mayindeed receive up to 3 different productsfor each manufacturing cycle.

The robot automatically sorts the productsand, depending on product type, placesthem on one of the three conveyors.

Conclusion: Quadra offers overall controlsolutions for the concrete industry

For Quadra, Celtys is a reference partner.The commissioning of these 2 plants hasonce again demonstrated both the techni-cal skills of Quadra and the company’sexpertise in developing manufacturingprocesses tailored to the needs and require-

ments of its clients. Whatever the type ofproduct to be manufactured (characteris-tics, execution, and finishing), Quadra iscapable of designing comprehensive, con-sistent and sustainable manufacturing solu-tions.

Celtys as a manufacturer is absolutely satis-fied these both upgrades. The commission-ing of the block machine enables it to man-ufacture pavers and slabs boasting topquality features that are widely recognizedin France. This state-of-the-art plant achievesoutstanding production outputs in a safeand ergonomic operational environment.

As far as the semi-dry production line goes,this represents a first collaboration for thiskind. The efficiency of the new process (fullautomatization and high output rates), theassociated flexibility and the quality of thefinished products have proven to be a greatsuccess.

Now specialized in this type of customizedmachinery, Quadra is able to offering itscooperation pertaining to any kind of pre-cast project in Europe and all over theworld. Quadra takes on the challenge ofcreating technical solutions within existingplant. Production lines are completely cus-tomizable and can be upgraded from man-ual to fully automatic operation modes.According to customer requirements,Quadra is able to propose the most appro-priate solution in terms of product qualityand outer appearance, productivity,automation level, and working conditions.

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FURTHER INFORMATION

Quadra40, route de Findrol, 74130 Contamine-sur-Arve, FranceT +33 45003 9221, F +33 45003 [email protected], www.quadra-concrete.com

CeltysZI du Quillivaron - BP 3030029403 Landivisiau Cedex, FranceT +33 298 689222, F +33 298 689200www.celtys.fr

KBH Baustoffwerke Gebhart & Söhne GmbH & Co. KG Einöde 2, 87760 Lachen, GermanyT +49 8331 950347, F +49 8331 [email protected], www.k-b-h.de

Kniele Baumaschinen GmbHGemeindebeunden 6, 88422 Bad Buchau, GermanyT +49 7582 9303 11, F +49 7582 9303 [email protected], www.kniele.de

WASA AGEuropaplatz 4, 64293 Darmstadt, GermanyT +49 6151 7808500, F +49 6151 [email protected], www.wasa-technologies.com

KUKA Roboter GmbHZugspitzstraße 140, 86165 Augsburg, GermanyT + 49 821 797-4000, F + 49 821 [email protected]

The palletizing station is equipped with a Kuka PA 700 robot.

Stand B1.215

Stand B1.126

Stand C1.404

Stand B1.423


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Quadra, 74130 Contamine-sur-Arve, France A multi-skill ... · PDF filesustainability that enable Celtys to accompany any kind of project ... into their lower position during this filling