Page 108 - Demo

CONCRETE PIPES AND MANHOLES108 CPI %u2013 Concrete Plant International %u2013 6 | 2025 www.cpi-worldwide.comNPCC produces a diverse range of manholes, pipe, environmental structures, boxes, vaults, trenches, panels, custom-built precast and DOT-specified products. NPCC%u2019s versatility and close proximity to the Port of Hampton Roads has enabled the precaster to ship products to Greenland, Spain and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Customers Ask for Pipe %u201cOur core customers were asking us to make pipe, and in fact NPCC had produced 72%u201d, 84%u201d and 96%u201d RCP back in the late 70s for a utility tunnel,%u201d Bo McConnell said. With the construction market stressed with demand for RCP in more recent times, McConnell decided it was the right time to look at pipe production.After much research, NPCC settled on the Afinitas ePak 150, a state-of-the-art packerhead system that features sophisticated control hardware and advanced software algorithms that, along with an ACT batch plant and Wiggert mixer, allowed NPCC to start pipe production in the summer of 2025. Also commissioned was the Afinitas TecLine post-production automation system that executes many manual processes to free employees to perform higher level manufacturing tasks.Afinitas Relationship Instills Confidence An existing relationship with Afinitas on the precast side of NPCC%u2019s operation gave McConnell the confidence to invest in the ePak 150. The quality of the Afinitas equipment made a big impression. %u201cWith Afinitas, it%u2019s like something coming off an assembly line,%u201d he said. You get the same thing every time. I can%u2019t say enough about the quality of equipment and technology behind their automation.%u201d The ePak features a state-of-the-art electronic direct drive rollerhead that generates higher torques and delivers precise packing control for every size of pipe at speeds up to 25% faster than conventional packerheads. The ePak 150 produces pipe sizes from 12- to 60-inch diameters in 1- to 8-foot lengths. According to Derek Von Cannon, Afinitas Vice President of Sales for Equipment & Automation, combining the ePak%u2019s high output with the TecLine%u2019s postproduction automation provided a good fit for NPCC. %u201cIt%u2019s all about problem solving,%u201d Von Cannon said. %u201cBo wanted the most amount of pipe that he could get. With the other products NPCC manufactures on the wetcast side, Bo and Brandon did not need the versatility of making different products. They wanted pipe only.%u201d The Afinitas ePak machine%u2019s sophisticated control hardware continuously provides feedback to the PLC on all parameters.Pipe curing is powered by the Afinitas CurePak direct-fired steam generator and Telekiln system.