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How to choose a fly ash brick making machine
Output, automation, pressing method, moulds and power supply: what to settle before you buy a fly ash brick making machine.
Possible Machines Private Limited ·
A fly ash brick machine is a long-term purchase. It sets how many bricks you can sell, how many people you need on the line and how consistent each brick is. Before you compare prices, settle these questions.
1. How many bricks do you need to sell each day?
Start from your market, not the machine. Count the builders, contractors and dealers within delivery distance and estimate what they buy in a month. Then work back to a daily figure for one shift. Buying far more capacity than you can sell ties up money in the machine and in unsold stock. Buying too little means turning away orders once you are known.
Plan for growth you can see, not growth you hope for. Many plants start on one shift and add a second shift before they add a second machine.
2. Manual, semi-automatic or automatic?
The level of automation decides how much labour you need and how much rests on operator skill. We cover the trade-offs in manual vs semi-automatic vs automatic block machines. In short:
- Manual and semi-automatic machines cost less and are simpler to repair, but need more hands and more supervision.
- Automatic machines with a PLC panel, batching and conveyor feed need fewer operators and give more consistent bricks. They need a steady three-phase supply and someone who can look after the hydraulics and electrics.
3. Hydraulic or mechanical pressing
Fly ash bricks get their strength from the mix and from compaction. A hydraulic press applies a set pressure on every cycle, which gives the same density from brick to brick. Mechanical and vibro-compaction machines are simpler and can suit smaller outputs. Ask the maker what pressure the machine applies, how it is controlled and how it holds that pressure as seals and moulds wear.
4. The moulds and products you want to sell
Most buyers want more than one product from the same machine. A good press takes different moulds for solid bricks, hollow blocks and paver blocks. Before you order, list the sizes your market uses. In many areas that means the traditional 230 × 110 × 75 mm brick or the modular 190 × 90 × 90 mm size, but check with local builders.