A local clay brick manufacturer has upgraded its brickmaking plant using advanced digital solutions for factory automation.

The rustication process used to make the textured face bricks is a masonry technique that involves chamfering the edges of a brick to allow the mortar joints to be set back, while texturing face surfaces using a roughened roller with blades. The process follows the extrusion of the clay to form the cross section required, with the bricks being rusticated on three sides, including the front face and both ends.

The brickmaker’s basic, existing rustication system was resulting in an unacceptable amount of waste, leading the client to seek help from SEW-EURODRIVE. “With the introduction of an automated solution, we were able to reduce wastage significantly, which resulted in the brickmaker placing an order for another three rustication systems for installation at other operations in its portfolio,” says SEW-EURODRIVE field service technician Juandre La Cock.

Using advanced digital solutions based on Maxolution for factory automation, a new and optimised plant for making high quality rustic face bricks was installed.

La Cock explains that, to produce consistently patterned surface textures, the client needed to be able to vary the speed of the rustication process, running slower or faster according to the viscosity of the clay. The drive units for the rollers also needed to enable the rustication process to match the line speed of the extruder.

The solution comprised three servo motors with industrial gear units between each to enable the relevant drive speeds to be changed electronically using SEW MOVI-PLC controller software. Automatic synchronisation of the speeds, varied to match the specific clay conditions and texturing requirements, resulted in a continuous operation producing consistently textured high quality bricks.

The equipment was built at SEW-EURODRIVE’s facility in Cape Town and programming took place at the company’s Johannesburg office, where most of the equipment was pre-commissioned to limit downtime and loss of production, which also reduced on-site commissioning of the system.

In addition, the client was supplied with a Drive Operating Panel which enables users to interface with the MOVI-PLC and change the settings as needed, such as changing to a new face brick style, and save settings so that the line can be re-started to continuously produce the modified bricks.

The rustication project forms part of SEW-EURODRIVE’s Maxolution division for factory automation and machine system solutions provider, offering a single source of innovative, Fourth Industrial Revolution-aligned technologies tailored to a client’s specific application and needs.