Cost-effective reformatting of paving blocks
Rectangular paving blocks are one of the main products of the English manufacturer Brett Landscaping and Building Products. These blocks are manufactured on single-pallet machines with a pallet size of 1,500 X 950 mm. The blocks are delivered as “void packages”, as customary in the UK. Modifying the packaging unit in such a way that the packages are delivered in the arrangement appropriate for laying in the required pattern was therefore a particular challenge.
The typical arrangement of the blocks on a production pallet is one designed for normal manual laying. A total of 52 rectangular blocks 200 x 100 mm in size, and in four rows of 13 blocks each, are manufactured in one working cycle. With the use of stackers and sliding tables, they are then loaded into void packages measuring 80 x 80 x 80 cm for delivery to the customer.
Where large areas need to be paved, fully automated laying machines are nowadays in customary use. When the blocks are to be installed in a particular laying pattern, automatic laying machines can be used only when the layers...
