XLERPLATE® Upgrade For Masonry Machine

02 October 2007

Hanson Building Products has upgraded the steel plates with XLERPLATE® steel in its Hess machine at its masonry plant in the suburb of Stapylton, Queensland

Hanson Building Products has upgraded the steel plates in its Hess machine at its masonry plant in the suburb of Stapylton, half way between Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

The Hess machine has the capacity to produce 200,000 tonnes of concrete masonry products a year and uses 3,300 plates to carry pavers, retaining wall products and masonry blocks through a steam generated curing chamber.

The masonry machine plates are a critical part of the production process because the pavers, masonry blocks and retaining walls are fragile until cured.

"The plates have reached the end of their lifecycle so we've ordered 770 tonnes of Grade 250 XLERPLATE® steel in 16mm thickness to replace them," Hanson Building Products Operations Manager Phil Deighton said.

The plate change, carried out in August, took about 40 hours to complete. It is the first and only plate change carried out on the machine since it was commissioned 10 years ago.

"We rely on the flatness and thickness of the plate to ensure the accuracy and stability of the finished products," Mr Deighton said. "In order to meet Australian Standards, we must deliver products within one millimetre of the specified dimensions."

The plates, which are 1,300mm long, 1,400mm wide, and 16mm thick, carry a load of up to 380 kilograms during one cycle of the machine.

"The machine runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week," Mr Deighton said. "The products are made on the plates, and are then transported to the steam generated curing chamber for 24 hours, before being passed onto the packaging line." Hanson Building Products sourced its steel through distributor Smorgon Steel.

"Smorgon Steel offered us the best service and price for Grade 250 XLERPLATE® steel," Mr Deighton said."We prefer to use Australian made steel instead of overseas steel because it's a superior product."

Hanson Building Products is one of three divisions that form the Australian arm of international building materials company Hanson.

The company, which trades in Queensland as Hanson Masonry, supplies a diverse range of concrete building and landscaping products such as structural concrete blocks, coloured blocks, concrete pavers and erosion control solutions.