Continuous Paving with Asphalt Drum Mix Plants

In large-scale highway construction and resurfacing projects where uninterrupted production is essential, an asphalt drum mix plant offers the ideal solution. Coninfra Machinery Pvt. Ltd.’s Asphalt Drum Mix Plant series is engineered to deliver non‐stop hot‐mix asphalt (HMA) with exceptional fuel efficiency, simplified maintenance and consistent mix quality. Here’s why investing in a drum‐mix system can transform your paving operations:

1. How Drum Mix Plants Work

Unlike batch plants that produce discrete loads of asphalt in cycles, drum mix plants perform continuous mixing. Raw aggregates are fed into a rotating drying drum, passing through sequential heating and mixing zones. Hot aggregates are then mixed in‐flight with pre‐heated bitumen and filler injected at precise metered rates. This seamless process eliminates “dead time” between batches, maximizing production uptime.

2. Key Advantages of Coninfra’s Drum Mix Design

High Throughput & Uniformity: 

Coninfra offers capacities ranging from 40 to 180 tonnes per hour (tph), allowing contractors to match plant size to project scale. The counterflow drum ensures that aggregate and combustion gases move in opposite directions, resulting in even heat distribution and surface temperature uniformity.

Energy Efficiency: 

Counterflow technology not only improves heat transfer but also reduces fuel consumption by up to 15% compared to parallel‐flow designs. Integrated burners with automatic flame control maintain optimum combustion while minimizing NOₓ and CO emissions.

Built‐In Mixing Accuracy: 

Coninfra’s drum mix plants feature PLC‐controlled bitumen dosing systems accurate to ±0.5%. Real‐time weighing of filler, recovered asphalt and additives guarantees the final HMA blend always meets the specified grading and binder content.

3. Simplified Operation & Maintenance

Single‐Drum Simplicity: 

With fewer moving parts than multi‐layer batch plants, drum mixers are inherently easier to maintain. Coninfra’s design uses bolted access panels on the drum shell and a swing‐out burner mount, allowing technicians to inspect liners, flights and burner nozzles in under an hour.

Automated Control Panel: 

Operators can monitor aggregate feed rates, drum temperature profile and bitumen flow from a central HMI console. Pre‐programmed recipes and alarm notifications help prevent off‐spec production, reducing costly rework.

Modular Spares: 

Wear components—drum liners, flights, burner tips and seals—are stocked in Coninfra’s regional warehouses. In the event of unexpected wear, replacement parts can be dispatched within 24 hours to keep your plant humming.

4. Environmental Compliance

Coninfra takes sustainability seriously. Each asphalt drum plant comes standard with a baghouse dust-collection unit rated to capture 99.5% of particulates. The enclosed design confines fugitive dust and the low‐NOₓ burner meets the latest CPCB emission norms. For contractors working in sensitive areas, an optional acoustic enclosure can reduce noise levels by up to 10 dB(A).

5. Applications & ROI

Continuous drum-mix plants are especially well-suited to:

• National and State Highways: Large paving widths and long runs benefit from sustained output without batch interruptions.

• Airport Runways: Steady mix production avoids temperature fluctuations that can compromise runway surface integrity.

• Pre‐Coated Aggregate Production: Specialized drum attachments allow pre‐coating of aggregates with bitumen or polymer emulsions for chip‐seal and surface–treatment jobs.

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By eliminating batch‐change delays and reducing fuel usage, Coninfra’s Asphalt Drum Mix Plant delivers lower operating costs and faster project turnover. When uptime, consistency and environmental compliance are non‐negotiable, this plant type offers an unbeatable combination of performance and value.