Own business: polymer production. Technology and equipment for polymer-sand tiles

At the moment, sand-polymer paving slabs are almost the most popular product on the construction market. Produced with high quality and laid evenly, it makes the street very attractive compared to ordinary, even very evenly laid asphalt or previously traditional concrete. Therefore, many businessmen and owners of private houses prefer this material.

The demand for services related to paving slabs is becoming increasingly higher, even despite the considerable cost of this material. If you are interested in the production of polymer-sand tiles, then you should prepare to clash with a fairly large number of competitors, but at the same time such a business can still be considered very promising.

Properties of polymer-sand tiles

1. Resistance to external factors. This type of material copes excellently with various atmospheric precipitations. It is not typical for tiles to open up into small abrasive parts; in addition, they have a high degree of resistance to various mechanical damage.
2. Durability. The manufacturer's warranty is currently 30 years.
3. Decorative. Tiles can have any shape, surface type and color.
4. Multiple uses.
5. Polymer-sand tiles can be used anywhere, due to which the demand for these products is constantly increasing.

Technology and raw materials used

The construction industry, like the building materials market, is a dynamically developing and promising sector of the Russian economy with a high degree of competition.

In modern conditions, new types of materials appear on the market with unique properties and consumer qualities, which distinguishes them favorably from classic types of substitute products.

It is these types of products that include products made from sand-polymer composites, which combine the best properties of both concrete and plastic building materials (high strength and reliability, durability, low weight, attractive appearance and ease of installation).

Composition of polymer sand composite mixture

Polymer sand composite is an artificially created material that is not found in nature and combines qualities unusual for other materials.

The material is obtained as a result of uniform mixing of the main components (filler + polymer) while maintaining a given temperature regime, resulting in the enveloping of each filler particle with the polymer. During subsequent molding and hardening, the polymer sand mass forms a homogeneous monolithic structure with high strength.

To prepare the composite mixture, the following components are used:

Sand

Sand

The main filler of the composite mixture is sand, while the technology allows the use of other fillers similar to sand of mineral and other origin (waste from mining and processing plants, rock screenings, etc.). When using sand, a fraction of up to 3 mm is used, preferably without clay inclusions with a moisture content of 0.1% to 10.3%. The technology under consideration makes it possible to achieve good performance indicators on sand with high humidity, while it should be taken into account that when using sand with low humidity, productivity increases.

Polymers

Polymers

Both primary and secondary polymers can be used as the polymer component of the mixture. Considering polymer sand technology, it is the use of secondary polymers that is the most attractive and cost-effective solution due to the low cost of secondary raw materials. Polymers of various groups (HDPE, LDPE, etc.) can be used for production. The technology allows the use of polymers of different groups, while an important condition is the selection of polymers with the same melting point.

Pigments

Pigments

Both mineral and organic dyes of a wide range of colors from various manufacturers can be used as pigments that impart color to the finished product. When choosing organic dyes, one should take into account their resistance to UV rays, as well as to high temperatures during the preparation of the polymer sand mixture.

Sources of polymer raw materials

Secondary polymers

sources of secondary raw materials can be waste reception and collection points, sorting plants, solid waste landfills, enterprises producing polymer products (plastic factories - production defects, sprues, flash, etc.), other organizations that collect, sort and process polymer materials.

Primary polymers

the use of primary polymers is a guarantee of the quality of the resulting raw materials; the raw materials are already prepared for production and do not require any additional processing. The main disadvantage of using primary polymers is their disproportionately high cost compared to secondary types, which leads to a significant increase in the cost of the finished product.

Business registration

In order to start polymer production, it will be quite enough to obtain registration of an individual entrepreneur. Paving slabs belong to a category of products that are not subject to special certification, and this greatly simplifies the entire process of registering a business.

However, if you want to have a document indicating the proper quality of your products, you can order a study from a certification service, where polymer sand tiles will be tested for abrasion, strength, frost resistance and other properties. After this, you will be issued a product quality certificate indicating the main characteristics.

Main job

This type of manufacturing of paving slabs involves the use of advanced technologies that involve the processing of secondary raw materials, that is, polymer products should be obtained. This process indicates a change not only in the thinking, but also in the attitude towards making a profit for producers.

Thanks to the ongoing global changes, we can talk about the transformation of the resource-based economy into a modern high-tech form, which allows rational use of available resources and does not lead to environmental pollution. Naturally, such production requires considerable financial investments, but they will quickly return after the start of work.

The essence of the process

The production of polymer products requires the presence of ordinary sand, dyes, as well as appropriate used material. The ratio of components for the manufacture of paving slabs should be as follows: 94% sand, 1% dyes and 5% polymer waste. The latter can be purchased quite cheaply at recycling points or at any landfill. This waste does not need to be cleaned of food and paper residues, since in the end it will all burn, which will not affect the quality of the finished product.

You can use absolutely any polymer materials. Please note that old plastic film and used bags are soft polymers, while polystyrene, polypropylene and plastic bottles are hard polymers. It is better to take the ratio of these two types in the final mixture in half. In Russia, the cost of a ton of such waste is within 3,000 rubles.

Polymer technology involves the use of sand, the humidity of which should not exceed 10%, and the impurity content should not exceed 20%. The price of sand is approximately 300-350 rubles per ton. The use of dye is not necessary, but without it the products will have an unattractive color. Equipment for polymer-sand tiles consists of an extruder, a molding press and a melting and heating unit. The area of ​​the room required for the installation of all equipment, as well as for ventilation, must be at least 150 square meters.

Material used

The production of polymer tiles requires the following raw materials:

• Crushed polymers are used as a binder; they occupy a quarter of the volume (usually polystyrene, polypropylene and LDPE are used);
• Sand acts as the main filler (it accounts for 75% of the total volume), choose well-sifted sand of medium coarseness (it must be washed and heated to high temperatures;
• inorganic pigments (iron oxide is used to obtain red, orange or brown tiles, chromium oxide is used to obtain a green coating, titanium dioxide produces white tiles).

In order to reduce the cost of purchasing raw materials, they practice making tiles from plastic bottles and other PVC products, for example, boxes or even film (but in the latter case, no more than half the volume of all polymers). Since the polymer has a neutral chemical composition, nitric acid acts as a solvent. To obtain a homogeneous mixture, the plastic is melted at a temperature of 180°C and high pressure. The melting process is called extrusion.

Production of luminous paving slabs

Processes of processing and manufacturing of products

The extruder heats polymer materials, after which they are mixed and crushed into homogeneous small particles. Next, this prepared polymer material is mixed with sand and dye, after which the mass enters the melting and heating unit.

There, the polymers can be melted, and the rotating blades mix all the listed components efficiently and evenly. The resulting mass resembles a tight dough and is homogeneous. It is placed in a molding press, in special forms, which are then slowly cooled. To make the product shine, the upper part of the mold is cooled much more slowly than the lower part.

Sand-polymer material

The structural material is obtained by pressure treatment of a hot mixture, including a melt of at least one thermoplastic polymer and sand, and cooling the mixture until hardening under pressure, with the ratio of the initial components selected as follows, wt.%: sand 50 - 85; polymer - the rest. The material is characterized by increased strength in all directions. 4 salary files, 2 tables.

The invention can have wide application, for example, in construction, as well as in the field of instrument making, in particular for the manufacture of housings, casings, racks, cells, and measuring instruments. The invention can also be used in the manufacture of electrical insulating and electrical installation products, as well as handles for power tools, etc. At the time of pressing the material, various materials can be pressed into it, for example metals (for example, a screwdriver - metal, a handle).

A sand-plate material is known, intended for the manufacture of cast molds, including rubber and sand (Chinese patent N 1162523 dated 10.22.1997). However, this material is expensive and fragile. The closest analogue of the claimed invention is a structural material obtained by cooling a hot mixture, including a melt of a thermoplastic polymer and a filler, in particular, sand in an amount of 67 to 95 wt.% (SU 1719345, 1992) .The specified material is highly resistant to the external environment, acids and alkalis, and is also easy to process. However, it has insufficient strength. The technical result to which this invention is aimed is to increase the strength of the material in all directions and its durability. The technical result is achieved by the fact that the structural material obtained by cooling a hot mixture containing a melt, at least , one thermoplastic polymer and sand, according to the invention, was obtained by pressure treatment while simultaneously cooling the hot mixture until hardening, with the ratio of components selected as follows, wt.%: sand - 50-85 polymer - the rest To impart additional properties to the main sand-polymer mass can be added: - reinforcing additives - fibrous materials of organic and mineral origin (asbestos fibers, glass fiber, acetate fiber, cotton tow, etc.); - plasticizers, for example, dibutyl and dioctyl phthalate, tricresyl phosphate, etc.; — dyes (mineral or organic) — chromium oxide, titanium dioxide, cobalt blue, red lead, etc.; — to facilitate pressing and prevent the mass from sticking to the walls of the molds during pressing, lubricants can be added: stearin, wax, etc.; — when using secondary polymers in the bulk, it may contain random impurities of various origins, for example, pieces of aluminum foil, rubber, thermosetting polymers and other materials of organic and inorganic origin. Depending on the requirements for the final product, some impurities are unacceptable, for example, particles of aluminum foil in electrical insulating products. Sand (with a grain size from 0.005 to 5 mm) can be used natural (mountain, river and sea) and artificial (by-product of stone crushing plants and quarries ) or obtained from coarse-crystalline marble, marbled limestones and dolomites, coarse-crystalline granites, syenites, tuffs, anthracite, fired bricks, tiles, ceramic pipes, porcelain, glass, basalt, quartzite, pumice, slag, brick, tiles, ceramic pipes, porcelain, glass, basalt, quartzite, pumice, slag, perlite, vermiculite, etc. Polymers can be used pure or in mixtures, primary and secondary. As a rule, thermoplastic polymers are used for the manufacture of products, semi-finished products and blanks from the material, which is due to environmental and economic factors. An example of a specific structural material and its manufacture. Mass composition: mountain sand 72%, recycled polyethylene 27.5%, dye - red lead. 0.5%. A mixture of recycled polyethylenes (household waste: film, bottles, packaging, etc.) and dye was gradually introduced into sand heated to 400oC (with a grain size of 0.5-0.9 mm) with constant stirring (crushed to a size < 15 mm). stirring continued as the temperature dropped to 200oC, and a homogeneous plastic mass was formed. The resulting mass was treated with pressure by pressing in a cooled mold, the pressure of 29 MPa was removed when the mass hardened until it reached a temperature of 95oC, the processing time was 150 seconds. A sample was obtained: color - red-brown, surface - uniform glossy-matte, without pores, density 2700 kg/m3, water absorption - 0, breaking stress: - in bending 150 MPa, - in tension 90 MPa, - in compression 200 MPa, acid resistance - 99 %, alkali resistance - 96.5%, specific volumetric electrical resistance 11015 Ohm x cm. The sample is difficult to burn - it gradually chars when exposed to open fire, when it is removed the material stops charring. At the time of pressing the material, various materials can be pressed into it, for example metals (example - screwdriver - metal, pen). The preparation of the hot mass for pressing can be as follows: 1. A pre-prepared mixture of sand, granulated or crushed polymer and additives is heated with stirring until a homogeneous plastic mass is obtained. Tnagr. = 90-500oC (depending on the polymers used).2. The sand is heated to Theat. = 200-600oC (depending on the polymers used). When stirring, the required amount of polymer or a mixture of polymers and additives is gradually introduced into the heated sand, or, conversely, the heated sand is introduced into the polymer. When stirring the mixture Theat. falls, the process continues until a homogeneous plastic mass is obtained at the temperature required for pressure treatment.3. In heated to Tnagr. = 90-450oC (depending on the polymers used) sand, while mixing, a molten polymer or a mixture of polymers is introduced, additives are introduced, the mass is mixed until a homogeneous plastic state.4. Sand heated to Theat is introduced into the molten polymer while stirring. = 90-450oC sand, additives are introduced, the mass is mixed until a homogeneous plastic state.5. A pre-fused sand-polymer mixture (possibly secondary), crushed or granulated, is heated and mixed until a uniform plastic mass is obtained. load = 90-450oC (depending on the characteristics of the polymers included in the mixture). When stirring, to impart additional properties, the following can be added to this mass: sand, polymers and additional additives.6. The declared material can be reused. It is crushed, heated to a plastic state, mixed, and if necessary, additional sand, polymers, and additives are added to it. Cooling can be natural or artificial, for example, in a cooled or uncooled mold. Natural cooling takes many times longer than artificial cooling. Pressure treatment from 1 to 400 MPa can be done by pressing, rolling, pressing through dies, etc. The most accessible and cheapest method is direct pressing in molds (Table 1) .The amount of pressure depends both on the properties of the source material and on the requirements for the properties of the finished product. Table. 2 shows the results of comparative tests of the polymer and the claimed sand-polymer materials. The polymer material is a mixture of recycled polyethylenes, processed by pressing. Sand-polymer is a mixture of secondary polyethylenes 40 parts by weight, quartz sand, mountain 100 parts by weight. The given results confirm the receipt the specified technical result - increasing the strength of the material in all directions while reducing the anisotropy of the strength properties, which is due to the dense packing of sand particles and crystallization of the polymer under pressure in limited microchambers. The claimed material is durable, fireproof, cheap, environmentally friendly, resistant to the external environment, acids and alkalis, well processed.

Claim

1. A structural material obtained by pressure treatment of a hot mixture, including a melt of at least one thermoplastic polymer and sand, and cooling it to a hole, characterized in that cooling until hardening is carried out under pressure, and the ratio of the components is selected as follows , wt.%: Sand - 50 - 85 Polymer - Rest 2. Material according to claim 1, characterized in that it contains a dye.3. Material according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it contains a plasticizer.4. Material according to any one of claims 1 - 3, characterized in that it contains a lubricant.5. Material according to any one of claims 1 - 4, characterized in that it additionally contains reinforcing material.

DRAWINGS

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Equipment

The production of paving slabs can be carried out in one of two ways - vibration casting or vibration pressing. Both options require the use of specialized equipment. For production using the vibration casting method, you will need a vibrating table, the cost of which is approximately $4,000, you also need molds costing $1-18 apiece, as well as a concrete mixer costing about $800. The vibratory compaction method will require you to have other equipment: a vibrating press, which costs about $20,000, a concrete mixer costing $5,000-6,000, and a punch – $3,000.

Manufacturing process

Since polymer production can be carried out in one of two ways, it is necessary to describe the technology for each of them. The vibration pressing method, in addition to being used for making tiles, is often used to create borders, wall and partition stones, and other things. This method includes the following steps.

• Concrete preparation. A concrete mixer is used to prepare it. In the case of the production of a single-layer product, one device is required, for a two-layer product - two. Once the mixture is formed, it must be placed in the matrix of a brick making machine.

• Molding. After loading the molding sand into the matrix, the work of the punch and vibrators begins. The material is compacted due to vibration pulses. This operation takes 305 seconds. Next, the matrix and punch are raised, and the products remain on a special pallet. It is sent for drying, and the production of another batch of tiles is carried out on the next pallet.

• Drying. To obtain the finished tile, it is necessary to dry it using a heat-moisture method. For these purposes, water vapor is used. To reduce production costs, sand-polymer tiles can undergo a drying stage in a production facility without the use of heat and moisture treatment. When the concrete strength is 1.5-2 MPa, you can remove the tiles from the pallets. It usually takes 5-8 hours to achieve this strength.

The second production method is the vibration casting method. It's a little different from the first one. Sand-polymer tiles are made using this method as follows:

• First, the concrete mixture is prepared;
• then the latter is placed in special forms located on the vibrating table;
• then the forms are placed on pallets;
• It is necessary to keep the molds with the mixture in natural conditions for 48 hours;
• products are knocked out of molds on a vibrating table.

For the last stage, the products are heated at temperatures up to 60-70 degrees Celsius for about two minutes, after which they should be knocked out on a vibrating table.

Technology for making tiles at home

The production of polymer-sand tiles is carried out in several ways:

1. Method of hot pressing of a polymer mixture.
2. Vibration casting using plasticizers.

Vibrocasting allows you to produce products with low porosity. The hot pressing method produces tiles with excellent technical and performance characteristics. In factory conditions, vibration casting and hot pressing technology are used simultaneously for the production of polymer sand coating.

Production of 3D paving slabs and coating advantages

Tiles for your own needs are produced directly on the street or in well-ventilated areas.

The manufacturing sequence is as follows:

1. Plastic bottles are placed in an extruder to grind the raw materials. Old plastic boxes are sometimes used instead of bottles.
2. The heated mixture is then poured into the melting apparatus. Moistened sand and dyes are also added there. As a result of mixing and simultaneous heating, a mixture of viscous consistency is obtained.
3. This composition is poured into molds and pressed using special equipment.
4. The finished products are cooled.

Sales

When polymer production is fully established, you can begin selling finished products. To attract the maximum number of customers, it is necessary to provide them with a wide selection of types of products, so it is advisable to make tiles of different shapes, sizes and colors. You should not strive to receive large orders at the initial stage. It is better to start the journey by establishing connections with individuals and small business owners who intend to purchase tiles to decorate their territories.

Advantages and disadvantages of such a business

The overall picture seems very profitable. Anyone can start polymer production. A relatively simple process of manufacturing products, quick payback, high profitability - all these can be called the advantages of such a business. However, there are also disadvantages. First of all, we can talk about the seasonality of orders. In addition, it is difficult to call this activity interesting, since the production process is quite monotonous and boring.

Characteristics and advantages of polymer tiles

Polymer-sand paving products have the following composition:

• the main volume (3/4) is occupied by quartz sand;
• a quarter of the composition is high-pressure plastic;
• pigments.

Thanks to this composition, polymer raw materials are resistant to external influences and at the same time plastic, which facilitates the molding of the future product. The advantages of this material include the following:

1. These sidewalk tiles will last up to thirty years.
2. A special production technology allows us to produce a product that is resistant to temperature changes and its extreme values ​​(withstands up to minus 70°C). The plastic content of the tile increases the moisture resistance of the product. Thanks to sand components, the paving surface is resistant to aggressive liquids and oils. The tile can withstand significant loads.
3. During the manufacturing process, the product is given the desired color and shape, which guarantees a wide range of products. There is also a choice of surface options (matte, structured, glossy).
4. Recycling PVC waste (plastic bottles, boxes, bags) solves the problem of their disposal.
5. Light weight, strength and low abrasion.
6. When exposed to sunlight, the product does not emit toxic fumes.
7. Maintainability and easy installation.
8. The coating does not accumulate dirt and is easy to clean.
9. Possibility of making at home.
10. Wide scope of use (as covering sidewalks and platforms in private households and in public places).

The final stage

After you have drawn up a business plan, you can begin to open the production process itself, where polymer sand tiles will be created. First, you will need to register with the administration, where you will write an application indicating your desire to become an entrepreneur and open your own production of paving slabs.

After submitting the application and registering it, within two to three days you should be issued an appropriate certificate, which will automatically make you an entrepreneur. Next, you are required to register with the tax service within three days after receiving the certificate. There you will have to choose the form and code of activity, as well as the type of business.

Now you can choose a room or prepare the one you have already chosen. It all depends on the planned production volumes. The premises must have concrete floors, lighting and running water. It is advisable to have a shed near the building, since you will store materials on the premises.