Old Way of Brick Paving
A typical brick paver on their hands and knees can produce between 75 and 100 square meters of brick pavers per day. It’s really time-consuming and you back can really hurt after 8 hours of work like that. Theoretically for 2 operators on machine job is not so tiring so they can work longer and more efficiently.
Not so Fast!
Laying down paving brick can be really time-consuming, back-breaking when of course is done in an old way. One of the companies located in the Netherlands designed a brick paving/laying machine which takes over brick paver’s work and thanks to saving time making more affordable laying a brick paving driveway for more people. After reading on the manufacturer’s website (vanku) , the machine can produce at least 300 square meters (3,229 sq.ft.) of road per day. The machine needs two people to operate and make it functional. So it’s faster for about 30%. Which is not so crazy comparing the old way of doing it by brick pavers. The machine will lay a layer as a carpet on the surface, finishing by crush sand can be done to seal the gaps between the blocks. It’s powered electrically and has very little moving parts therefore the noise and maintenance are quite less. This fast solution can be great for investors who are building and financing commercial buildings so they can lay a huge area of brick paving in a few days! By using the built-in sensors, it is capable to stay on track which is outlined by the curbs. It comes in varying sizes and accompanying prices.
So It Is Worth Money?
Brick Road Paving Machine can be purchased from (US$81,000 to $110,00) from manufacture or also can be found on Alibaba at a better price. (from $4,000 – $7.000) (link). Which is six-meter wide paving machine that street/road at one time can be perfect re street. The SY6-400 also brings directly to the edge. The end result is that the stones are immediately locked tight between the curbs. The street/road in one hit and there is no waste or debris on the road! However, Alibaba its not so reliable place to buy this kind of machine. In case something happens you don’t have a warranty and will be really hard to find someone who will fix it later. The pictures on the product page seem to be copied from other pages.
How Far This Can Go?
Another robot was designed thanks to the National Science Foundation which provides early-stage R&D funding to small businesses such as Construction Robotics to help them move their innovative ideas into the marketplace. SAM – a metal-muscled, bricklaying robotic assistant of the future. SAM – short for Semi-Automated Mason, was developed by Construction Robotics, it works alongside masons to install bricks, making the humans’ jobs less backbreaking. It is designed to increase productivity and reduce heavy-lifting burdens on construction crews (also used in deck building). Masons set SAM up and work alongside it, continuing to use their knowledge and skills while letting the robot handle the repetition and physical labor.
Photos taken from paving blog
Final Thoughts
Semi-Automated Mason or Bricklaying machine by Vanku is a great piece of technology. They can help current companies to lower prices and make brick pavers work easier. However designing a brick sidewalk or custom driveway with different shapes, colors and patterns can be more time-consuming using machine than old way of brick paving. The truth is that with our current technology its impossible to handle work like brick retaining walls, brick patios, or brick sidewalks. Companies are making some progress in this area but it will take another few years to improve technology to handle more advanced custom brick paving designs and tie them with 3d brick paving design software.
