How to choose equipment for the production of foam glass

Foam glass is a heat-insulating material that is used in construction, repairs, etc. Currently, the market is not yet completely saturated with such offers, so a novice entrepreneur can find a good niche for himself. Let's see what equipment is needed for the production of foam glass, because the quality, dimensions and other important parameters of the finished product will depend on the chosen technique.

Production technology

In principle, you do not need to have a special education to understand that it is very expensive to use glass as a raw material. That is why powder technology is currently being actively used, which is considered to be optimal and most profitable.

As raw materials take small fractions of silicate glass with a size of 2-10 micrometers. The mixture is mixed with carbon and heated to a temperature of 850-900 degrees in a special furnace. At this time, the glass becomes liquid and foams when carbon is oxidized.

At the output, we get a finished product, which in chemical resistance is no worse than ordinary glass. In principle, the complexity is represented only by the oxidation process, since many reactions take place during it, so a person without special knowledge will not be able to get a quality product.

Equipment for the production of foam glass from cullet

As noted above, this method is one of the best for today. As for the production line, it can vary depending on the selected method of manufacturing the product. And since we have already decided on the powder method, we will need to buy a special crusher in which the cullet will be crushed to a certain size.

You will also need a special mixer, where the components will be averaged and mixed before loading into the furnace. Not do without conveyors, they will transport raw materials and other components to the necessary equipment. We also need washing machines (automatic machines), as well as a packaging machine that will work with finished products. Also, you can not do without a furnace, there is sintering of the mixture. In principle, this equipment is quite enough, so let's move on to the next step.

How to choose equipment for the production of foam glass

At the very beginning of this article, it was noted that you can easily start such a business, since in Russia it is only at the initial stage of its development. Nevertheless, you buy the equipment you need without any problems.

Moreover, the foam glass production technology used by you (powder) is the most popular, and there are many offers. First of all, pay attention to the manufacturer, it is desirable that the equipment comes from abroad. This is due to the fact that they have been engaged in such a business for a long time and know what quality and reliable machines and furnaces should be like.

The next important point is performance. Here you should focus on your financial capabilities. A mini-factory will cost about 300 thousand rubles, and a large production - in the amount of about several million. If possible, then buy equipment on lease. And in a year, when everything pays off, it will be yours.

A few important points

Please note that the technological scheme for the production of foam glass, above, is quite complicated. The fault is due to the complexity of chemical oxidative processes. Therefore, you should understand that there are restrictions on the annealing time, which should last at least 10 hours, as well as the thickness of the sheets.

As for block foam glass, if we talk about granular glass, it is easier to melt it, but it also costs less.Do not forget that it is extremely important to buy an unpolluted cullet. Otherwise, you will have to perform several washing cycles. For this simple reason, it is recommended that you select those suppliers who work directly with glass.

As for the sale of finished products, as statistics show, construction companies, both small and large, are most interested in such proposals. There are plenty of them now, so you can find buyers pretty quickly.

Instead of a conclusion

As you can see, the main difficulty is buying equipment. This is due to the fact that it is extremely important to buy good equipment that will work like a clock. Violation of the temperature regime of the furnace will lead to unstable behavior of the material during cooling, and a crusher of the wrong type will not provide proper mixing.

In principle, there is nothing more to say about what to buy and how to choose equipment for the production of foam glass. You can buy equipment directly or through intermediaries. In the first case, you will save, but all responsibility lies with you. Start with a small mini-factory, and if it will bring good profit, then after a while you can build a full-fledged high-performance foam glass complex.