in operation worldwide

SLOVENIA

EXPERTISE IN
AUTOCLAVED AERATED CONCRETE

LITHUANIA

POLAND
KAZAKHSTAN

FINLAND
GERMANY

RUSSIA
BELARUS

CANADA

MONGOLIA

UKRAINE

GREAT BRITAIN
USA

MEXICO

INDONESIA

SPAIN

CHINA
LIBYA

THAILAND

BRAZIL

VIETNAM
SOUTH AFRICA

INDIA

MALAYSIA

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

GREECE
EGYPT

IRAN
KUWAIT
AUSTRALIA

TURKEY

WKB Systems GmbH

Daimlerstrae 5-8
48477 Hrstel / Germany

SAUDI ARABIA

JORDAN

Tel. +49 54 59 - 80 59 - 0
Fax +49 54 59 - 80 59 25
[email protected]
www.wkb-systems.com

innovation made by experience

innovation made by experience

WKB - Your partner for autoclaved aerated concrete production

We work out technical solutions together with our customers

WKB supplies machinery for the production of autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC)

WKB: qualified innovativ dynamic

Our young and motivated team consists of highly qualified professionals in all business areas and gives you ongoing support
as a reliable partner. Our customer always takes part in the
development process of a project, so individual solutions are
developed for every of his requirements.

We are specialised in:

Processing of
raw materials

Transport / Packaging

Cutting lines

Reinforced elements /
U-shells / hollow blocks

Autoclaving

Modernisation /
Turn key plants

WKB Systems GmbH is an innovative and worldwide operating manufacturer of high tech investment goods for the building materials industry. We develop and manufacture turn key
plants as well as stand-alone machines and facilities for the
production of autoclaved aerated concrete blocks, sand lime
bricks and ceramic bricks.
Approved technology - worldwide

Definition of your requirements

Planning of a technical solution

The WKB machinery (formerly developed and produced by

W+K Maschinenfabrik GmbH) is in operation all over the world
and has been proven successful in Europe, CIS countries, Middle East, the USA, Mexico, Africa, China and Canada, etc.
Take advantage of proved technology and wide experience
WKB innovation made by experience

Our engineering specialists possess the broad technical knowhow, professional experience of many years and strong customer orientation. At the same time they have a direct access
to the international experience in the production of autoclaved
aerated concrete. In such a way we supply state-of-the-art
practice-oriented solutions from one source:

Design and electrical engineering

Production and assembling
And at your site:

WKB stands for:

Innovative solutions according to your requirements

Supervised assembling, commissioning and

handover of the equipment

Outstanding quality

Operator training

Customised equipment

Spare parts supply and after sales service

High-performance, reliable
and easy to maintain machinery

Maintenance
Modernisation and production process optimisation

Best value for money

Complete solutions from one source we work for your success.

Turn key plants

We are the heartbeat

of technical innovation!

We offer you:
Technical consulting
Project planning and engineering
Innovative solutions for highest aspirations
As a well-known manufacturer of the machinery for autoclaved aerated concrete industry WKB equips turn key plants
for the production of AAC blocks.
According to the motto from the idea to the machinery we
support you in the planning of your plant and develop individual concepts depending on the daily production capacity,
automation level und engineering design.

There is a close cooperation between WKB Systems GmbH

and competent partners, whose specialists have international experience of many years in the production of autoclaved aerated concrete.

Highest standards ensured by WKB technology

Our engineers work out special concepts according to
customer requirements for:

Production, supervised assembling and programming

Raw materials processing and mixing

Commissioning and operator training at your site

Cutting and sawing

Development and implementation of individual

solutions together with the customer

Autoclaving with steam generation

On-site technical support

Support of the customer during the whole
project duration

Product transportation and tracking

Packaging and warehousing
Process control and visualisation

Feasibility studies, material tests and reliable service ensure

you an ongoing production process.

Autoclaved aerated concrete a building material with perfect properties.

A contribution to effective building.

an d
silica s
me
rite
quickli
anhyd
ium
alumin
t
cemen

Autoclaved aerated concrete

as a building material

Characteristics:
Strength density: between 0.30 and 1.00 kg/dm.
Strength: on average it is between 2.5 and
10.0 N/mm. That is why it is possible to use AAC products
in building of houses with up to nine floors. Tensile strength
is 10% of cube compressive strength. Bending tensile
strength is one-fifth of the cube compressive strenght,
that is 0.5 - 2.0 N/mm.

Autoclaved aerated concrete a special building

material
Autoclaved aerated concrete consists of natural components
such as silica sand, quicklime, cement and anhydrite or gypsum as a binder and water. Additionally small quantity of aluminium is used as a propellant for pore formation.

Heat conductivity: thanks to its low heat conductivity of

0.09 W/(mK) there is no need in multilayer wall building as
Perfect fire protection

5 m of autoclaved aerated concrete could be produced out of

1 m3 of solid raw materials. This efficient usage of raw materials encourages economical subsistence strategy.

Heat storage: heat storage of AAC is between extremes

of lightweight construction (for example timber panel building with ca. 50 kJ/mK) and solid building (for example
blocking or armored concrete with ca. 250 kJ/mK). An
AAC wall has heat storage factor of ca. 90 kJ/mK.

Autoclaved aerated concrete is a perfect heat insulator that

consists of 80% air and only 20% of solid materials. After fermentation and hardening process in autoclaves it receives following characteristics:

Low density
High strength
Perfect heat insulation
Good sound insulation
Perfect fire protection
Suitably for usage in earthquake areas
Almost endless life cycle

Primary energy demand, kWh/m

Cellular structure
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10

Autoclaved aerated concrete can be used for new building

and modernisation of single family or two-family houses,
multi-storey building and commercial construction.

920

613

479

404

Ceramic brick
=1.2 kg/dm3

Cellular
ceramic
=0.8 kg/dm3

Sand lime
brick
=1.4 kg/dm3

AAC
=0.4 kg/dm3

Accumulated primary energy demand in the production of important

building materials

Energy saving
- cost reduction
7

Grinding, mixing, casting, handling - WKB offers solutions.

From raw material

to a green cake

innovation made by experience

Raw materials
Raw materials used in the production of AAC are finely ground
silica sand, anhydrite, quicklime and cement (as a binder) and
also aluminium (as a propellant) as well as water.

Casting mould

Alternatively fly ash could be used instead of sand. The suitability of fly ash must be checked in special tests. However it is not
possible to produce reinforced elements in this case.

A certain quantity of the mixture is poured from the mixer in an

oiled casting mould that consists of 2 parts that are extremely
tightly closed. In a casting mould the AAC cake ferments for
approx. 2,5 hours in a heated chamber to stiffen under a certain temperature.

For every mixing process raw materials (depending on their

quality) are weighted in weighing containers and mixed in a
specified order with special agitators in the mixer. Precise dosing of raw materials and high mixing velocity ensure that sand
slurry, lime, cement, anhydrite and additional water are mixed
to have a homogeneous mixture in short time.

The casting mould is specially developed for the following tilting process. The casting mould is of a torsionfree construction
with conical sides that can be lifted off upwards. So it is possible to gently remove the cake from the mould. The mould
base and mould sides find one another over and over again to
build one perfect unit.
There is a portal unit used for mould detachment from the
base, also called form removal, as well as for further handling.
WKB equipment handles the green cake very gently to minimise possible damages that could be seen only after autoclaving process.

Production process of autoclaved aerated concrete

RAW MATERIALS
Casting
Sand
Fermentation

Lime and cement

Dosing and
mixing

Anhydrite or gypsum

Stiffen

Recycling raw materials

Cutting

Water
Pore builder

Steam hardening

REINFORCEMENT
Cutting

Welding

Corrosion protection

Placement

Storage, building site

Innovative cutting technologies for autoclaved aerated concrete.

We supply solutions for the requirements of our customers.

WKB cutting lines

innovation made by experience

Individuality
- Innovation - Precision

Cutting lines WKB CL 1 and 2

The cutting process starts after the form removal. Cutting lines
WKB CL 1 and 2 consist of the following units:
Pre-cutter: a slope of the cake in horizontal position is cut
at right angle there.
Tilting device: the cake is tilted by 90 on the cutting board,
so the cake is standing upright.
Vertical cutter: the sides of the cake standing upright are
cut and tongues and grooves are inserted there.

Compact cutting line WKB CL 4

Compact: small place required

All cutting lines could be adjusted

according to the individual requirements of our customers, such as
block size.

Compared to WKB CL 1 and 2 the compact cutting line

WKB CL 4 operates with only one tilting table. The upright cake
comes into an immovable position and cutting modules start
to cut the cake.
Processing units of the cutting line go through the upright
cake. Vertical and horizontal cutters are of portable construction und simultaneously cut the AAC cake. In the vertical cutter
the cake sides are trimmed with steel wires and tongues and
grooves are inserted with particular blades according to the
desired format. The horizontal cutter cuts the cake according
to the needed block width.

Vertical cutter WKB CL 4

Finally steel wires of the cross cutter that are arranged according to the desired block format cut the cake in downward
movements. Also according to the block size a recess milling
device mills grip pockets in the cake.
Modernisation: could be integrated in every plant
Horizontal cutter: pneumatically tensioned and offset
steel wires have an entry and exit angle of 0-60, which
can be continuously adjusted. This prevents the material
from breaking off while leaving the cutting wire.
Cross cutter: tensioned cutting wires, which are arranged
according to the desired formats, rotate oscillating in opposite direction. They go through the cake top down. If
necessary a recess pocket milling device can be switched
on there. A suction hood sucks up the top layer of the cake
with vacuum. Later on this top layer falls into the cutting
trough and is returned to the production process with a
scraper conveyer. Finally, head sides of the cake are straightened with a groove cutter.

With WKB CL 4 we are able to satisfy market requirements for

plant modernisation concepts in the production of AAC. Many
customers want to replace their old cutting lines. As a result
the compact cutting line was developed that could be integrated in almost every plant because of small place required.

Horizontal cutter WKB CL 4

In order to achieve optimal cut quality the cake is cleaned with

compressed air nozzles after the cutting process. As a result all
the material rests are removed.
WKB cutting lines are of state-of-the-art technology
and combine innovation and ease of use.

Cross cutter WKB CL 4

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Energy saving issue of a new generation.

Efficient usage of the vessel thanks to the stacking method of WKB.

Autoclaving

innovation made by experience

Energy saving thanks to efficient usage of vessel

There is an advantage not only because of reduction in material consumption but also in the fact that the hardening of the
bottom layer, as it is common in other AAC technologies, is not
needed any more.
Another advantage is that blocks are placed on the autoclave
pallet on their top side so they generally do not adhere to
each other during autoclaving process. Furthermore there is
no need for a separating unit.
Two tilting processes optimise production process

Waste heat recovery

During the second tilting process the AAC cake is tilted by 90

on the autoclave pallet that moves across later on. At the same
time the bottom layer of the cake is sucked on the cutting
board.

The autoclaving process is a production step that consumes

the most energy. There are usually several autoclaves used on
a time-delayed basis as well as steam accumulator used for
partial waste heat recovery.

As soon as the autoclave pallet has moved away and the vacuum is released, the bottom layer falls into the cutting trough
to be forwarded to the section of returned material processing.

Waste heat recovery means the usage of the condensate as

well as reusage of the steam generated in autoclaves.

An autoclave pallet with the cut cake is forwarded with a conveying device to the loading station, where a special gripper
puts pallets on an autoclave carriage.
Innovative: WKB stacking method

With a heat exchanger it is possible to recover heat from the condensate that could be used for preheating of fermentation chambers or building heating.
Take advantage of WKB innovative technology in order to
make your production process more economical.

While decompressing of the autoclave the steam is stored to

be used once more in the next autoclaving process or for building and feed water heating.

More efficiency:
WKB stacking method

WKB stacking method enables to put three autoclave pallets

on one autoclave carriage. Here one autoclave pallet is placed
on two adjacent pallets. This new development ensures more
efficient vessel usage and reduces energy costs.
A standard autoclave is supposed to be used under the pressure of 12 bar. Being 39 m long and of 2,75 m in diameter it
could be loaded with 6 hardening trolleys with 3 autoclave pallets each, so totally with 18 cakes.

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Perfect plant logistics with WKB equipment.

Transport / Packaging

Make your production process more efficient!

innovation made by experience

Packaging

Innovative for the

highest aspirations

After autoclaving process the autoclave pallets are taken with

a gripper from the autoclave carriage and forwarded to the
third tilting table.
Here the gripper positions the whole package of hardened
blocks on the tilting table. As a next step the second package
of blocks is put on the first one and the tilting table tilts both
by 90 on wooden pallets.

Transport and conveying systems are essential not only for efficient material flow or stock keeping but primarly for automation of the production process.
That is why they become such important factors for cost and
time saving and therefore for the rate of return of your company.

These pallets will be separated and forwarded to the packing

station. The packaging with the stretch foil is usually used.
Here there is a variety of packaging techniques. One technique
is the usage of a stretch hood that is pulled and stretched on a
holder. Later on it is put over the products and shrinks around
them to protect against water and dust.

You need innovative components and facilities for handling,

transport and packaging of AAC products? WKB supports you
there!

Furthermore the readily packed pallets are wrapped with

stretch-foil by a satellite coiler. Usage of a shrink hood is also
very popular.

Portal systems, robots, grouping systems or handling systems

specially developed by WKB specialists are used to carry out
precise handling operations.

After packaging the AAC blocks are brought into stock by a

forklift truck and are ready for dispatch.

innovative individual customised to meet your requirements

Different conveying systems (tackle systems, pushing mechanisms, traversers) ensure reliable transportation within your
AAC plant. There are also chain, roll and belt conveyers used
there.

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Restyle your product portfolio!

Meet requirements of your customers and increase your market value.

Reinforced elements / U-shells

/ hollow blocks

innovation made by experience

Options for
your plant

U-shells / hollow blocks open up new markets

Reinforced elements broaden your product portfolio

Alternatively it is possible to produce U-shells and hollow blocks.

Only one additional machine must be integrated in an AAC plant
to produce these AAC products.

In order to strengthen the market position of our customers

WKB offers an option to produce AAC reinforced elements to
offer a wide range of products to the end customer.

WKB offers two techniques for the production of U-shells.

The reinforcement frame consists of some welded steel wires

that are specially arranged or bent and put in mats with spotwelding.

Milling technique:
According to this technique a U-shell is produced with a milling
device that mills a groove in an AAC block. The result is an extremely robust U-shell.
Hotmelt technique:
WKB Systems GmbH developed a fully automated U-shells gluing
station for these purpose. Firstly a robot takes an AAC block from
the pallet and brings it to the saw, where the AAC block is sawn
to appropriate pieces.

It is essential to prevent corrosion of frames in a dipping bath

as AAC could not protect the steel from corrosion.

Standard elements are wall panels, roof panels and ceiling panels, that are usually 625 mm wide and 6000 mm long (depending on the size of a casting mould). Their thickness depends
on the application purpose and static loading. According to the
requirements the dimensions of panels could be individually
changed. In order to change the panel length and for special
cuts there must be an additional dry cut saw acquired.
A line for production of reinforced element in an AAC plant
broadens the product portfolio with wall panels, roof panels,
ceiling panels and brackets/covers. As a result it is possible to
win new markets and to improve plant flexibility.

The reinforcement mats are adjusted and fixed in a casting

mould with special fixing elements. Here it is very essential to
precisely position the mats in a cake as it must be cut afterwards.

As a next step these pieces are glued to a robust U-shell with

specials hot glue in a gluiding station. The robot takes the finished
U-shell and puts it down on the pallet. WKB Systems GmbH offers
also the U-shells gluing station with manual feeding.
The powerful drilling machine is used in the production of hollow
blocks. First of all the robot brings a solid AAC block to a turnover device, where the AAC block is tilted by 90. Then the robot
places the AAC block on the drilling machine. Here the holes for
core rods, power, phone, water and wastewater disposal lines are
made with high precision. Afterwards the robot brings the hollow
AAC block to the turnover device to tilt it by 90. As a next step
the AAC block is stacked on the pallet.

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Use the state-of-the-art technology in your plant.

Improve your competitive advantage now and in the future.

Modernisation

innovation made by experience

Competitive for
the future
Modernisation and optimisation
Do you have a plant and want to modernise it? Or want to
optimise production process? WKB develops modular concepts
for all common production technologies.
WKB offers approved low-priced solutions for modernisation. In such a way it is possible to improve not only the
effectiveness and efficiency of an AAC plant but also the
product quality.

Improve your competitive advantage

now and in the future

Service and spare parts supply

Also after the equipment delivery we provide you with ongoing
support as a reliable partner. Our team offers after sales service and consulting service worldwide. We support your personnel in all issues concerning production process with remote
maintenance and of cause at your site if needed.
WKB also ensures flexible and efficient spare parts supply all
over the world. Fast and reliable processing of enquiries and
orders as well as permanent storage of important spare and
wear parts in our warehouses are our strengths.

We optimise and modernise your production thanks to the

modular design of our production lines it is possible to pay attention to every single machinery component.
We are specialised in:
Mixing units
Cutting lines
Casting moulds and hardening trolley circulation
Steam generation
Packaging lines
Process automation
and others
WKB lines ensure highest flexibility and quality. Thanks to the
individually developed concepts according to the customer
requirements there is a high customer benefit reached.
Advantages for your production:
Increase in the production volume

Improve your competitiveness

- now and in the future

Staff saving
Automation improvement
Reduction in working cycle time
Improvement of quality
Cost reduction as a result of usage of
an existing building
WKB supports you every time and develops with you
the best solution for optimisation of your plant.

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