CHOOSE FROM ONE OF 3 UNIQUE, HEAVY-DUTY PRE-DESIGNED PROCESSING PLANTS
All modules are pre-engineered to integrate smoothly across a range of applications and production capacities, providing straightforward, ready-to-use, comprehensive sand-making solutions. Opting for a standard solution eliminates the need for costly and time-consuming custom engineering, as the design, engineering, and R&D have been perfected over the last 35 years by Pilot Crushtec.
From feeders and conveyors to screens and Twister VSAC crushers for sand manufacturing, these standard machines configured for sand making solutions are predictable in their performance, reliable in their build quality and capable of handling a wide variety of minerals and natural ore’s with the intention of reducing pre-crushed stone to sand and fines.
Features & Benefits
Faster Setup and Deployment
These plants are pre-engineered and ready to go, meaning you can get them up and running much quicker than a custom-built solution. No waiting around for lengthy design phases – just assemble and start producing.
Proven Reliability
Standard plants are built from tried-and-tested designs. They’ve been proven across a wide range of applications and operating conditions, which helps reduce the likelihood of unexpected downtime or performance issues.
Reduced Risk of Errors
Custom engineering can lead to costly mistakes if something’s overlooked. A standard plant has already been debugged and optimised, so you’re starting with a solution that’s less likely to have hidden flaws.
Scalability
Need more capacity later? As production demands change, the plant can be expanded or adapted without the need to replace the entire system. Additional modules or upgrades can be added over time, allowing capacity to grow alongside your operation.
Cost Efficiency
Since the design work, engineering, and R&D are already done (often over decades, as with Pilot Crushtec’s 35years of experience), you’re not footing the bill for custom engineering. That saves on upfront capital expenditure and reduces the risk of budget overruns.
Flexibility for Different Outputs
The system is capable of handling different production requirements, from sand manufacture to aggregate processing and other specialised applications. Adjustments to settings or the addition of modules make it easier to respond to changing material or output needs.
Simplified Maintenance and Support
With standard designs, parts are off-the-shelf and easier to source. Established support networks, so you’re not scrambling to find parts or fix issues in the middle of nowhere.
Minimal Site Preparation Costs
All Modules are skid mounted and designed to work on a flat, level compacted surface. Although a concrete base is beneficial.
A Pilot SMP standard plant offers a practical and cost-effective route into production, using a system that has already been proven in real operating environments. Rather than investing time and budget into a fully custom design, operators can focus on running their business with confidence, knowing the plant is designed to perform. If you’re weighing this against a custom setup, think about how much time and budget you’re willing to commit upfront – standard plants often win on both fronts.
SHAPED PROUCTS AFTER CRUSHING:
THE SAND MAKING PROCESS:
Our Process
01
An excavator or front-end-loader, loads the raw material into the sand making plant. The belt feed hopper provides surge capacity and controlled feed output onto the conveyor belt. The belt feed hopper can handle a maximum feed size of 150mm.
02
A screen feed conveyor then moves the raw material from the hopper into the double deck vibrating screen, where material is separated into 3 different sizes. From there 3 conveyors take different size product to different places. Top screen goes to the over size pile as this material is bigger than 35mm. The bottom screen is the finer 0-5mm material to the main stock pile. The material which needs further processing then gets sent straight to the Twister VSI.
03
Material smaller than 35mm and larger than 5mm, travels via the VSI feed conveyor, into the Twister VSI. The rock-on-rock crusher uses a rotor to accelerate the material into the rock box to reduce the material size.
04
Crushed product is then sent via a conveyor back into the screen feed conveyor.
05
The processed material is then screened and separated into the various stock piles. Oversize material will automatically then be re-circulated back into the crusher, for further processing.
WHO CAN USE OUR STANDARD SAND MAKING PLANTS?
CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES
This is the largest consumer of manufactured sand. Sand is a critical component in concrete production, mortar, plastering, and asphalt for building infrastructure like roads, bridges, buildings, and dams. Crushed rock sand is often used as a substitute for natural river sand due to its consistent quality and availability.
FOUNDRY AND CASTING INDUSTRY
Crushed sand, particularly silica sand, is used to create molds and cores in metal casting. The sand must have specific thermal properties and grain size to withstand high temperatures and ensure precise casting of metal parts for automotive, aerospace, and machinery industries.
CHEMICAL INDUSTRY
Crushed sand, especially silica sand, is a raw material in the production of silicon-based chemicals, such as silicones, silicates, and other compounds used in detergents, paints, and adhesives.
GLASS MANUFACTURING
The glass industry requires high-purity silica sand, often obtained by crushing quartz-rich rocks. This sand is used to produce glass products such as bottles, windows, and fiberglass. The sand must meet specific size and chemical composition standards for clarity and strength.
CERAMICS AND REFRACTORY INDUSTRY
Crushed silica sand is used in the production of ceramics (tiles, pottery, sanitaryware) and refractory materials (like furnace linings). The sand provides the necessary silica content and thermal stability for these high-heat applications.
OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY (HYDRAULIC FRACTURING)
Known as “frac sand,” sand produced from crushed rock (often quartz-rich sandstone) is used in hydraulic fracturing to prop open fractures in rock formations, allowing oil and gas to flow more freely. This sand needs to be durable, uniformly sized, and able to withstand immense pressure.
WATER FILTRATION AND TREATMENT
Crushed rock sand, particularly from granite or quartz, is used in water filtration systems. Its angular grains and specific sizes make it effective for filtering impurities in municipal water treatment plants, swimming pools, and industrial wastewater systems.
LANDSCAPING AND HORTICULTURE
Crushed rock sand is used for landscaping projects, such as creating pathways, patios, or decorative features. It’s also used in horticulture as a drainage medium in soil mixes or as a base material for turf and gardens.
SPORTS AND RECREATION
Crushed sand is used in the construction of sports facilities, like golf course bunkers, volleyball courts, and synthetic turf fields. The sand needs to be specifically graded to ensure proper drainage and playability.
MINING AND METALLURGY
In mining operations, crushed sand can be used as a backfill material or in mineral processing. It’s also used in metallurgy for processes like smelting, where silica sand acts as a flux to remove impurities.
How The Twister Produces Sand & Crushed Material
The Twister is a Vertical Shaft Autogenous Crusher, which uses a rotor mounted on a vertical shaft, to provide the centrifugal force which starts the material (stone) reduction process. Feed material is fed into a rock lined feed hopper, which centralises the feed prior to it entering the crusher, via a cylindrical feed tube. This feed tube forces the material to fall directly and centrally into the rotor.
Inside the rotor, a cone spreads the material flow, and the centrifugal force, created by the spinning rotor, forces the material into three or six horizontal canals (rotor type and size dependent), lined with trapped material (stone). When the feed material meets the rotating arm of trapped stone, it is accelerated, rolling and sliding, along the arm to the rotor exit openings which are protected by tungsten carbide wear edges.
These accelerated particles are continuously discharged, at very high speeds, up to 80m/s, into the material lined periphery of the crushing chamber. On discharge into the crushing chamber, the particles together with the air stream, become part of a swirling mass of particles. Due to the shape of the crushing chamber and the resulting compacted material wall, the swirling mass (cyclone) of particles continually changes direction.
The new particles entering the swirling mass collide with particles already in the cyclone, which in turn collide with particles deflected off the material lined wall and the rotor deflector plates. These continuous direct hits and glancing blows, cause the crushing action within the chamber. The material then falls grom the chamber through a rubber discharge hopper and on to the conveyor belt.
This highly efficient stone-on-stone method of crushing does not require any stone-on-steel impact or pressure, which makes the Twister very economical to run.