Machines and equipment for the production

of Autoclaved Aerated Concrete

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Cost-effective production systems for a wide range

of high quality AAC products

We put concrete into shape

 AAC Technology

The Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) material was The silicium dioxide is obtained from silica sand, fly ash Advantages of AAC
developed in 1924 in Sweden. It has become one of the (PFA), or crushed quartzite. It is possible to obtain sili-
most used building materials in Europe and is rapidly cium dioxide as a by-product from other processes, e.g. „„ Large variety of sizes: AAC can be produced in a „„ Termite resistance: AAC can not be damaged by
growing in many other countries around the world. foundry sand. The calcium oxide is obtained from quick large variety of sizes, from standard blocks to large termites or insects;
lime, hydrated lime and cement. Gypsum/anhydrite is reinforced panels;
Autoclaved Aerated Concrete is a lightweight, load added in small quantities as a catalyst and for optimiz- „„ High workability: as a result of the excellent size/
bearing, high-insulating, durable building product, ing the properties of AAC. Aluminium powder/paste is „„ Excellent thermal insulation: AAC has a very low weight ratio, AAC allows rapid construction work.
which is produced in a wide range of sizes and strengths. used as expanding agent. thermal conductivity and therefore a very high Even though AAC is a solid building material, it can
AAC offers incredible opportunities to increase building thermal energy efficiency is achieved.This results in be cut, sawn, drilled, nailed and milled like wood,
quality and at the same time reduces costs at the con- In specific applications additional (chemical) compo- cost savings for heating and cooling; making it an easily workable product;
struction site. nents can be added to enhance the AAC properties dur-
„„ Extremely lightweight: AAC weighs approximately
ing production and in the final product. Special agents
50% less than other comparable building products;
AAC is produced out of a mix of quartz sand and/or pul- allow the use of certain waste materials as a valuable
verized fly ash (PFA), lime, cement, gypsum/anhydrite, new raw material for the production of high quality AAC, „„ High compressive strength: AAC is a solid product,
water and aluminium and is hardened by steam-curing hence adding to sustainability and a circular process. therefore making it highly load bearing. The entire
in autoclaves. As a result of its excellent properties, AAC surface area is used in structural calculations;
is used in many building constructions, for example in
residential homes, commercial and industrial buildings, „„ High dimensional accuracy: as a result of its
schools, hospitals, hotels and several other applications. dimensional accuracy, AAC is extremely easy to
The construction material aircrete contains 60% to 85% install, as no thick set mortar is required;
air by volume. The solid material is a crystalline binder, „„ Great acoustic insulation: the porous structure of
which is known as Tobermorite. The chemical composi- AAC provides a high acoustic insulation;
tion of Tobermorite shows silicium dioxide, calcium ox-
ide and water. Besides the binding phase Tobermorite, „„ High fire resistance: AAC has an extremely high fire
AAC contains grains of quartz and in minor amounts resistance rating of at least 4 hours;
some other minerals.

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 HESS AAC Systems

1. ball mill system for milling sand and course anhydrite

2. slurry tanks
3. silos for lime, cement and fine anhydrite

Compact Line - CBT 4. aluminium powder / paste preparation

5. dosing and mixing
6. casting into the mould
7. position for reinforcement insertion
8. rising / pre-curing
9. position for extraction of reinforcement holding pins
10. tilting the cake with tilting manipulator
11. mould oiling
12. pre-cutting
13. vertical cutting and profiling
14. horizontal cutting
15. cross cutting and handgrip milling
16. platform manipulator
17. back-tilting of the cake onto a cooking frame
18. platform return and bed waste removal
19. green separation
20. multifunctional manipulator
21. stacking and buffering of green cake
22. autoclaving
23. steam preparation
Keen-Crete ® - KBT 24. buffering and destacking of hardened cakes
25. frame circulation, cleaning and oiling
26. unloading and transfer to the packaging line
27. pallet destacking and transportation
28. covering with foil

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 AAC production process

Reinforcement preparation

The HESS systems are also ideal for the production of large format reinforced panels. Depending on the required
capacity, the reinforcement cages are outsourced or welded on site. The cages are then assembled per mould and
hung onto holding frames with cross bars and needles. A corrosion protection is then applied. Immediately after the
mix has been poured into the mould, the waiting reinforcement frame assembly is inserted. Before cutting of the
cake, the holding frames with needles are lifted, leaving the reinforcement in the cake.

Raw material preparation and mixing

A ball mill wet-grinds the quartz sand with water to a All the components are accurately weighed, and are re-
sand slurry. The sand slurry is stored in slurry tanks and leased into the mixer in a pre-defined order. The HESS
pumped into the slurry weighing hopper in the mixer recipe and temperature control system constantly mon-
tower. The binders (lime, cement and anhydrite) are itors this process.
stored in silos. It is also possible to mill the anhydrite to-
gether with the sand in the ball mill. The aluminium pow- HESS also has the knowledge and the experience to pro-
der or paste is prepared in a separate building where it is duce AAC with alternative raw materials, for example
dispersed in water. with fly ash.

Casting, rising/pre-curing and Tilting

mould circulation
The tilting manipulator tilts the mould by
The mould consists of four fixed sides and one detacha- 90°. The manipulator unlocks the mould
ble platform. The inner mould surfaces are covered with and removes the mould body, so that the
demoulding release oil before casting. This oil is applied cake remains on one mould side/platform
either manually or automatically. The mix is then poured for cutting. This tilting system has proven
into the moulds. A mould circulation system conveys the to be the safest method for tilting the cake
moulds to the rising area, where the cake pre-cures for into the vertical cutting position, as the cake
2-3 hours after which it is ready for cutting. Depending is remaining on the platform/mould side for
on the plant design, the moulds are handled by a mould the cutting process.
traverser or by a tilting-manipulator.
This way of handling results in optimal effi-
ciency in raw material consumption due to
the low mechanical forces on the product
in the green stage and reduces the risk of
cracks and product damage.

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 AAC production process

Cutting

The cake is cut by high precision cutting machines.

Cutting is done by cutting knives and by pneumati-
cally tensioned cutting wires.

„„ The pre-cutter and vertical cutter cut the block

length and panel width. In this station the
profiling (tongue and groove) can be cut into the
cake with profiling knives;

„„ The horizontal cutter cuts the block and panel

thickness; for special demands in surface finish
and thickness accuracy beyond the traditional
building standards, HESS provides proven
alternative cutting systems with oscillating wires
while maintaining the advantages of the tilt cake
cutting system;

„„ The cross cutter cuts the block height and the

panel length. Optionally hand-grips can be
milled in the blocks in the green stage;

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 AAC production process

Back-tilting and bed removal

The HESS plants have combined the advantages of the

tilt-cake and flat-cake system. After the cutting is com-
pleted, the cake is tilted back by 90° onto a cooking
frame. In the HESS system no part of the mould or plat-
form used for cutting goes into the autoclaves. After the
cake has been tilted back into the horizontal orientation,
the bottom/bed waste will be removed before autoclav-
ing. Autoclaving the cake horizontally on the cooking
frames allows efficient autoclave loading and, most im-
portantly, will prevent most of the sticking of the layers,
which is a typical disadvantage of the traditional tilt-
cake systems.

HESS SYSTEMS PRODUCE NO PROCESS RELATED

WASTE!

Frame and bogey circulation

The green cakes on the cooking frame are stacked three

high onto autoclaving cars, referred to as bogeys. Auto-
clave buffer tracks in front of the autoclaves ensure that
the cutting and packaging processes are less depend-
ent on one another. An autoclave traverser is used for
loading and unloading the autoclaves, ensuring that this
process is performed in the shortest possible time, in or-
der to optimise autoclaving capacity.

Autoclaving

In the autoclaves the cakes are cured for ca. 10–12 hours
at a temperature of 190° C with saturated steam at a
One of the HESS innovations is the green separator. Here
pressure of 12 bar. The fully automatic autoclave control
the horizontal cuts (now laying vertical) are carefully
system ensures a safe and optimal autoclaving process,
separated before autoclaving, leaving a small gap be-
also allowing for steam transfer and energy reuse in
tween the layers. This innovation eliminates any sticking,
combination with the condensate system, in order to cut
which is typical for other tilt-cake systems. Further this
back fuel costs for the steam generation to 50%.
green separation substantially improves the autoclaving
process as steam can penetrate into the cake more ef-
fectively. Although the principle of separation has often
been copied, the HESS technology for this production
method has been proven as the most reliable with the
lowest risk of product damage.

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 AAC production process

Process control and plant automation

The entire production process is controlled by modern

automation systems designed by HESS on the basis of Sie-
mens S7 control system, using standard components that
are available world-wide. User-friendly, multi-lingual opera-
tor interfaces with touchscreen monitors allow easy and
understandable operation. The HESS remote diagnostics
do not only allow access for on-line support but are sup-
ported with modern Industry 4.0 technology. Cloud based
data collection technologies allow the user to be in control
over the production process on-line with a wide range of
diagnostics available at hand wherever desired.
Unloading and packing

After the autoclaving is completed, the cakes are

destacked and unloaded from the cooking frames. HESS
offers a large variety of packaging solutions, ensuring
that the finished products are packed according to local
market requirements. Usually blocks will be delivered as
packs on wooden pallets, strapped and/or covered in
foil.

HESS also offers a wide range of post-autoclaving han-

dling for reinforced products, such as packaging lines,
sawing and shaping systems.
Process know-how

HESS has a modern laboratory, equipped with all neces-

sary equipment and apparatus to perform vital raw ma-
terial tests. Not only the raw material characteristics are
checked, but also small scale AAC production is possible,
allowing HESS to gain important information on raw ma-
terial production behaviour and final product quality,
to ensure trouble free putting into commercial opera-
tion of the plant after a green field installation or major
modification.

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 Upgrading existing systems

Compact Line – CBT CBT-210 CBT-320 CBT-430

Theoretical capacity 210 m³ / day 320 m³/day 430 m³/day

Cakes / day 75 120 160
Cycle time 18,0 min / cake 11,3 min/cake 8,4 min/cake
No. of autoclaves (32 m) 2 3 4
No. of rising places 9 13 17
Net cake size 3,0 x 1,5 x 0,6 m = 2,7 m³

Compact Line CBT – HP CBT-HP 300 CBT-HP 450 CBT-HP 600 CBT-HP 750

Theoretical capacity 300 m³/day 450 m³/day 600 m³/day 750 m³/day
Cakes / day 56 84 112 140
Cycle time 24,4 min/cake 16,1 min/cake 12,1 min/cake 9,6 min/cake
No. of autoclaves (37,5 m) 2 3 4 5
No. of rising places 7 11 14 17
Net cake size 6,0 x 1,5 x 0,6 m = 5,4 m³

Keen-Crete® Line – KBT-S KBT-S-450 KBT-S-680 KBT-S-900

Theoretical capacity 450 m³ / day 680 m³ / day 900 m³ / day

Cakes / day 84 126 168
Cycle time 16,1 min / cake 10,7 min / cake 8,0 min / cake
Upgrade of existing Hebel type cutting systems Highlights No. of autoclaves (43,7 m) 2 3 4
No. of rising places 9 13 18
In order to increase the quality of the product as well as „„ Short installation time; Net cake size 6,0 x 1,5 x 0,6 m = 5,4 m³
the reliability of the plant, without investing in a com-
„„ Proven technology;
plete new cutting machine, the modification of the He- Keen-Crete® Line – KBT KBT-900 KBT-1130 KBT-1360 KBT-1580
bel technology based cutting machine is possible. „„ The existing logistics and production technology
Theoretical capacity 900 m³/ day 1.130 m³/ day 1.360 m³/ day 1.580 m³/ day
do not require major changes;
Cakes / day 168 210 252 294
„„ Cutting table with moving bridges;
Cycle time 8,0 min / cake 6,4 min / cake 5,4 min / cake 4,6 min / cake
„„ Needles with rectangular design; HESS can also undertake the modification of other AAC No. of autoclaves (43,7 m) 4 5 6 7
plant systems. No. of rising places 18 23 27 32
„„ Balance opposed double set of cross cutting shafts;
Net cake size 6,0 x 1,5 x 0,6 m = 5,4 m³
„„ Vertical wire tensioning system; Based on HESS vast experience with many different
production systems and technologies, HESS can carry Keen-Crete® Line – KBT-L KBT-L-1580 KBT-L-1810 KBT-L-2040
„„ Top crust removal system;
out a AAC plant assessment. During this scan different
Theoretical capacity 1.580 m³/ day 1.810 m³/ day 2.040 m³/ day
„„ Horizontal cutting system for lintel cutting; aspects of the operation are thoroughly reviewed like
Cakes / day 294 336 378
the process technology and quality control, the produc-
„„ Counter pusher with pusher package; Cycle time 4,6 min/ cake 4,0 min/ cake 3,6 min/ cake
tion plant and its condition as well as the organisation
No. of autoclaves (43,7 m) 7 8 9
„„ Bottom and top profiling system; and management of the factory to find the right angles
No. of rising places 33 38 41
for improvement of the business and making it more
„„ Control system; Net cake size 6,0 x 1,5 x 0,6 m = 5,4 m³
profitable.
„„ Hydraulic system;
Based on a pre-curing time of 2,5 h and on 2 autoclave cycles/day. These are dependent on raw materials and product mix. Other autoclave
lengths and net cake volumes are possible and will change the capacity data. Reinforced products with a length of max. 6 meters can be pro-
duced on all Keen-Crete® Lines

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HESS AAC SYSTEMS B.V.
Aluminiumsteden 10
7547 TN Enschede
P.O. Box 10063
7504 PB Enschede, The Netherlands

Phone: +31 53460 1700
Fax: +31 53460 1799
E-Mail: [email protected]
Internet: www.hess-aac.com

new dimensions in cocrete shaping