BLOCKMASTER 8 Block Making Machine Installation – Bamako, Mali

The BLOCKMASTER 8 block making machine we installed in Bamako, the capital of Mali, runs on a site that was carefully prepared before installation. The machine stands on a concrete platform; aggregate and concrete reach its hopper by belt conveyor, and the full pallets leaving the mould are taken to the curing area with a pallet trolley. Our team carried out the assembly and commissioning on site, and the customer's operators made the first pressings together with our engineers.

How was the site prepared?

• Concrete platform: the machine and its pallet conveyor sit on a level, solid concrete floor, which a vibrating machine needs to run properly.
• Raised loading edge: at the end of the pallet conveyor, a concrete step was built at the height from which the pallet trolley picks up each pallet.
• Feed line: the mixer and inclined belt conveyors stand behind the machine, with sand and gravel stockpiles kept close to the line.

What does the BLOCKMASTER 8 produce?

The BLOCKMASTER 8 makes 8 blocks of 20 cm (200x400x200 mm) per cycle, or about 8,000 a day. The same machine produces 10 blocks of 15 cm per cycle (10,000 a day), 16 blocks of 10 cm (16,000 a day) and 2 curbstones of 150x700x300 mm (2,000 a day). With a mould change it also makes hollow floor blocks and plain paving stones. It runs at 100–120 pallet cycles per hour with 90 x 90 cm pallets, 2 x 7.5 kW bottom vibration motors and an 11 kW hydraulic motor.

4, 8 or 10: why the middle model?

The three BLOCKMASTER models share the same single-hopper, semi-automatic design; they differ in how many blocks each cycle produces. The BLOCKMASTER 4 makes about 4,000 blocks of 20 cm a day, the BLOCKMASTER 8 about 8,000 and the BLOCKMASTER 10 about 10,000. The middle model is a balanced choice for investors who want twice the output of the entry model without a larger plant or crew.

Planning a similar plant in the Sahel or West Africa? Send your daily target and site dimensions through the quote form and we will plan the machine, moulds and layout with you.