First ever Carmix One in USA!
- Newcomer to US market
- Easy to move Carmix One
- Working principle of the mixing drum
- Talk about Carmix manufacturer
- Differences between Carmix One and other models
- Let’s compare Carmix One and volumetric mixer
- How is Carmix One equipped inside?
- Operating Carmix One
Newcomer to US market
The first self-loading concrete mixer Carmix One is in the USA! You have the opportunity to buy it!
CARMIX mobile concrete plants have been available on the American market for several years now. However, the Carmix “ONE” model has just recently arrived directly from Italy.
The self-loading concrete mixer is a type of special-purpose machinery for construction of buildings of various sizes and levels of complexity.
Carmix itself carries out the entire concrete production process – from the loading of materials to the unloading of the finished mix. You need only one person to operate a machine.
Easy to move Carmix One
You may ask: “How can one machine and one person produce the concrete?”
It is quite simple.. Carmix is a hybrid machine. It combines a self-loading bucket like a front loader, a mixing drum like a mixer, and a four-wheel-drive transmission on all-terrain wheels.
The concrete mixer is assembled from reliable European components by well-known companies that have already proven themselves in the market. Carmix is equipped with engines from the British company – Perkins, hydrostatic transmission from the German company – Bosch Rexroth. Also, it is equipped with parts made in the USA.
Carmix is easy to move around the construction site. Even in small areas, it can go almost everywhere because there are a number of advantageous driving characteristics:
- swivel wheels
- incline grade up to 30°
- three travel modes: synchronous, asynchronous and crab
Therefore, the concrete mixer can travel from aggregate materials to the pouring area at the construction site, and for short distances between sites, too.
Working principle of the mixing drum
Carmix loads all dry mix components into the mixing drum with a bucket. A hydraulically driven pump for filling with mixing drum and additional tanks for transporting the water is integrated into the special equipment.
Carmix mixing drum has a double mixing screw (Archimedean spiral) and it also has a built-in cover for discharging in emergency situations. The mixer is driven by a hydraulic motor with a planetary reduction gear. The speed of mixing and discharging does not depend on the speed of the diesel engine. It is important to note that concrete is discharged during the reverse rotation of the drum.
While concrete is being mixed, mobile concrete plant takes it to the pouring area and begins unloading it. One mixing cycle takes about 15 minutes, but the time can increase due to the length of unloading and the distance between the mixture components and the concreting site.
Talk about Carmix manufacturer
We should talk more about the manufacturer, which is engaged in the assembly of concrete mixers CARMIX. Metalgalante factory, where the special-purpose machinery is designed, located in Italy. The country is famous for its engineering traditions for 6 centuries since the era of Leonardo da Vinci.
The company has been dealing with mixers for more than 40 years. Metalgalante only develops concrete equipment, so it is always in constant search of the latest solutions to improve its equipment. In the model range of mobile concrete plants, you can find what is right for your construction project.
Carmix One is one of the technical solutions that have been developed for the individual conditions of construction sites.
The concrete mixer is suitable for the production of concrete on sites where there is little space for maneuvering and turning, for example, mines, tunnels, and residential construction.
Differences between Carmix One and other models
This mobile batching plant is different from the other Carmix models because it produces up to 1.3 cubic yards of concrete mix per mixing cycle. Carmix 5.5 XL, for example, is capable of producing up to 90 yd3 of concrete per 8-hour shift.
| Time | drum output, cubic yard |
| Cycle | 1.3 |
| Hour | 4.3 |
| Shift | 34 |
It seems that Carmix One has a low capacity. However, there are construction sites where there is no need to pour large volumes of concrete mix. For example, in the development of residential constructions or housing projects..
Let’s compare Carmix One and volumetric mixer
You’re probably wondering, “Why not use a volumetric mixer?”
Let’s compare two ways to supply concrete to a facility. You order a volumetric mixer and pay for a comprehensive service. The cost of the concrete mix will include: aggregate materials, loading them exactly according to your mix design, and delivery to the site.
The volumetric concrete mixer is limited to one discharge of concrete. In the future, the equipment will have to drive back to the storage yard each time for a new loading of the mixture components. The off-site loading process will add time to the concreting process and can have a negative impact on the quality of the poure.
With Carmix, you can store all aggregates directly on site. A self-loading concrete mixer will load concrete aggregates and start mixing on-site immediately. The concrete production time will be reduced.
How is Carmix One equipped inside?
As we said, Carmix One has a small capacity, but this is compensated for by the compactness and maneuverability of the mixer.
The mixing drum has a volume of just 370 gallons. Therefore, the overall dimensions of Carmix One are almost one and a half times smaller than other models of concrete mixers with self-loading:
- Length -152 inches
- Width – 72 inches
- Height -100 inches
The special-purpose machinery doesn’t need transportation, it can be transported using a regular trailer and a pickup truck. A concrete mixer with these dimensions will concretize floors right inside the premises because it is easy to drive into an 8ft feet height opening.
Carmix One is equipped with an articulated chassis that divides the operator’s cabin and mixing drum into two movable parts. This technical feature is what allows it to bypass any obstacle on-site and reduces the turning radius to a minimum.
Turning Radius: internal 8.8 ft, external 15 ft.
That’s why the cycle of mixing concrete with Carmix One takes from 10 minutes, instead of 15 minutes as in the case of other models of concrete mixers.
The time is calculated in ideal construction conditions. Depending on the individual characteristics of the terrain and the construction process at your site, the time of one batch may increase.
In this model, the rear part of the mixing drum can be lifted upwards. As a result, the mixer takes a more horizontal position. This makes it possible to discharge concrete faster and without any additional equipment.
Carmix One bucket is not on the side of the cabin, but near the mixing drum, which makes it difficult to control the loading process. The operator would have to constantly look out of the cabin and look through the side window to see how the material is being loaded. Nevertheless, the manufacturers have solved this problem.
The steering circuit and the seat can pivot 180° to the mixing drum. In this position, the operator can safely observe the loading and unloading of concrete.
The seat swivel function in the cabin is important for the maneuverability of the mixer. When there is no place to turn the whole machine around, for example in a tunnel, and the machine has to drive back to front, the operator can swivel the seat and shift the gearbox. This way of driving is faster and safer because the driver has a full view of the road.
Since we’re talking about safety, the operator is protected when operating the machine. The protective cabin is designed according to ROPS and FOPS standards.
Like all Carmix concrete mixers, this model has additional water tanks with a total capacity of 82 gallons and an integrated hydraulic pump. With the tanks and pump, you can reduce your water loading time by filling them before you start making concrete. The volume of water is enough for one mixing cycle.
One of the main qualities of the mobile plant CARMIX – is exact compliance with the mix design. To ensure concrete always meets laboratory recipes, mixer has a weighing system.
Hydraulic sensors measure the weight of each aggregate in the mix. As materials are loaded, they read the change in hydraulic oil pressure, convert the data into an electrical signal, and send it to the onboard computer. The computer is located in the operator’s cabin.
Operating Carmix One
The operator supervises the entire concrete production process, even controlling compliance with the recipe down to a few pounds. The weighing system has an error tolerance rate of less than 3%.
After all these features, you might think that operating a Carmix is no easy task. The self-loading mixer is simple to operate. It takes a couple of hours to train the operators. Anyone who has driven an excavator or loader before can learn how to operate a mobile concrete plant.
Carmix One, like all equipment from the Italian company, is certified and has permission to operate in the United States. Mobile concrete batching plants meet all requirements and safety standards.
This type of special-purpose machinery is completely new to the US market. Anyway, “new” does not mean bad. We are sure that Carmix will find its customers. There is a good future for self-loading concrete mixers in the USA.
We have Carmix One in our warehouse in Miami, Florida. We can arrange a tour and test drive of the mixer for you upon request.
