Masonry Magazine December 2010 Page. 32
MIXERS, PUMPS & DELIVERY SYSTEMS
huge modification of the grouting process, Jollay began to point out other issues he felt needed to be addressed.
"I explained to Jim (Farrell) that we needed a machine that was safe, simple, portable, compact and, obviously, cost effective," Jollay says. As the men talked, Farrell and Maddox noted proven components that Blastcrete had developed for other applications. They took the previously discussed footprint, and Jollay laid out the components of the machine. That produced drawings, which eventually resulted in the decision that Blastcrete would build a prototype.
Blastcrete's recent design of a two-stage, continuous mixer that matched the output of its two-inch squeeze pump was a radical change from historical batch mixers. But the two-stage, continuous mixer met all of the requirements that Jollay had suggested relative to cost, portability, labor savings, and reduction of waste and dust.
Bump in the road
AFTER MONTHS OF TESTING the Mason Mate, things were moving full steam ahead, until a roadblock was encountered. Blastcrete was shocked to learn that the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM) 476 specifically stated there was a minimum five-minute mixing time for masonry grout. There was no language in the rules that addressed continuous mixing, even though continuous mixing of mortar and grout had been used in Europe and Asia for decades. At that point, Blastcrete pulled the plug on promoting the machine for its original design-masonry grouting and mortar. But the door remained open.
In 2008, inquiries from new customers provided an opportunity for Blastcrete sales manager, Tripp Farrell, to modify the Mason Mate for applying shotcrete in underground coal applications. These modifications resulted in the Mine Mate, and also provided an opportunity for real-time experience on the two-stage continuous mixer - in extremely harsh conditions underground. A modified version of the original Mine Mate, the Mine Mate 1100, is now being used successfully for a patented rock-dusting process, developed by BASF (a worldwide chemical company), to improve safety in coal mines.
Blastcrete had now established credibility and confidence in the level of its two-stage, continuous mixer. Almost immedi-
GROUT PUMPS
* Ideal for grouting metal door frames and filling hollow concrete block
* 4 hand-operated & 2 air-powered models available
* Output capacity up to 11 gallons per minute
* Net weights from 20 to 42 lbs.
KENRICH
KR 3881 NE Bryant St.
PRODUCTS
Portland, OR 97211
www.kenrichproducts.com
503.281.6190 / FAX 503.281.6227