Product Insight: CrustCracker production board cleaning system

CrustCracker production board cleaning system: product insight

Three years after Weber first launched CrustCracker, we decided to take a look at how it has been helping the precast concrete industry clean and protect production boards (pallets), improving the production of blocks, kerbstones and paving slabs.

Need for improved efficiency
Production boards are a major investment for producers of concrete products. During the production process, encrusted concrete, dirt and rust builds up on them. Removal of this build up is key in protecting the boards and also helps safeguard product quality and minimises dust being carried around the factory.

Production boards have traditionally been cleaned with rotary or spiral brushes. These types of brushes are effective to a point but often cannot provide the highest levels of cleaning required. The design of the spiral brush system means that typically only 10% of bristles are actively in contact with the board. Having worked with leading European block machine manufacturers, Weber understood the pallet cleaning process better than anyone else. Recognising the need for a better industry solution, they worked with engineers, mechanics and partners of the concrete block production industry to produce the CrustCracker® Pallet Cleaning System.

CrustCracker® Pallet Cleaning System
CrustCracker is a highly effective automated inline system designed to clean composite, wood and steel production boards. The specialist brush system offers the highest cleaning performance of any inline system on the market. Five overlapping plate brushes reach every inch of the board surface, removing embedded concrete, grime and rust and preventing further build-up. During cleaning, the production process remains fully operational, neither slowing or stopping, ensuring cleaned boards are immediately available for the next production run.

This universal system can be retrofitted to any existing production line and can effectively clean all types of board. The five overlapping plate brushes are configured to suit varying operating conditions with a variety of bristle types from super aggressive nylon grit and steel wire to mildly abrasive polypropylene.

As dust emission is a major concern for concrete producers, CrustCracker also features two openings to allow users to connect the unit into their existing dust extraction systems, assisting in the control and removal of dust from the atmosphere.