What is a bitumen sprayer?
Bitumen sprayer machines are known as asphalt distributor and they help in controlled spraying of bitumen on the surface prior to the laying of hot mix asphalt. Whether it is construction of a new road or repair works, these machines form an indispensable part of any road contractor’s fleet. You will always need high quality equipment that will deliver as and when required so that you can get the task done with fewer efforts. Since this is going to use bitumen which is a sensitive material one has to be very careful with the selection of the equipment.
The property of bitumen is different and seasoned road contractors know that it has to be handled with care. Mismanagement can lead to accident and also wastage. Hence it is important that selection of any equipment is important. There are many companies offering bitumen sprayer for sale in India. But the million dollar question is: who is the better or who is more competitive or whose product is trust worthy? This can only be answered if one goes through the basic understanding of the machine, the manufacturing and testing process that a company uses and also the customer reviews that a company has got over the years.
The review has to be about the product performance from actual user + feedback and company’s service support rendered to the buyer during the use of the equipment.
What are the qualities that make a good bitumen sprayer truck?
One of the most basic quality and function of this equipment is to store bitumen in a tank, heat it when required and then spray the same in controlled quantity on the surface while the vehicle on which the entire setup is mounted moves slowly to make effective spraying. A complete bitumen spray tank has to be mounted on a truck chassis which can take it from one place to another while the spraying process is done.
- SPRAYER CHASSIS: Sprayer chassis is built as per the truck chassis on which the bitumen sprayer is fitted. Depending on the width of the truck chassis, the width of the sprayer chassis is determined. The main tank and spraying unit is then fitted on the base chassis. This base chassis of the equipment can then be fitted to the customer’s vehicle at their site or at our factory.
- TANKS: Tank for the bitumen sprayer is mounted on the main chassis. It occupies a large part of the chassis. Tank is one of the important components. The purpose of the tank is to hold the bitumen and heat it as and when required. This tank is fabricated with a 5 mm MS sheet and carefully welded to avoid any leakage. Over the tank a sheet of glasswool of 50 mm thickness is put. This is done to reduce the heat loss in the sprayer tank. Less heat loss means less fuel consumption required to heat the bitumen inside the spray tank = more profit. The outer sheet of the tank is a galvanized sheet. Galvanized sheet scores better in terms of anti corrosion and are better than regular MS sheet. The tank consists of internal coil which is used for heating the bitumen inside. A manhole on the tank for filling the tank is provided. The tank can also be filled from side as there is a three way cock given on one side of the machine. Manual and electronic temperature guage is provided with the equipment. Ladder is provided for ease of access to the tank’s top and drain out cock is also provided.
- BURNER UNIT: Many bitumen sprayer manufacturers tend to ignore or play with this component. This unit is one of the important elements of the machine. It has to be of best quality possible. This high pressure oil burner should be capable of heating the contents of the tank quickly. There is also a small hand burner provided with the equipment. It is extremely useful in extreme cold conditions where chances of bitumen clogging are high or in some conditions where the spraying lines are not cleaned properly or adequately.
- ENGINE: This is a single stage twin cylinder air cooled diesel engine. It is of 25 HP power made by Kirloskar. The engine drives the bitumen pump and air compressor. Its fuel consumption is approximately 3-4 liters per hour. Considering the bitumen sprayer price, the components used by Atlas are all renowned.
- BITUMEN PUMP AND AIR COMPRESSOR: Both bitumen pump and air compressor are engine driven. Bitumen pump is a gear type pump with capacity of 380-450 liters per minute. Hence it is very effective considering the spraying and also for fast filling of the tank. Air compressor is double cylinder and of reputed make. It is used for opening and closing of pneumatic valves and also for pressurized cleaning mechanism that uses air along with diesel.
- SPRAYING SYSTEM: Spraying system consists of the spray bar and its ancillary components that help in open and close of the nozzles. Standard width of the spray bar with Atlas bitumen sprayer truck is of 2.4 meters. This is when the spray bar is closed. When the spray bar is opened the spray bar width is 4.2 meters which can give spraying of 4.5 meters. We are among few bitumen sprayer manufacturers that have successfully manufactured 6.0 meters spray bar. These spray bars have height and width adjustment facility. Depending on the conditions, you can adjust the width (2.4 meters or 4.5/6 meters) and also the spray bar can be taken up in case you are not going to use the machine for a long period of time or in case you are going to take the sprayer to a different place. By taking the spray bar up it will be more comfortable to run the truck at higher speed when not in use. By circulating preheated bitumen, it is also possible to heat the spray bar. It is important that all the quality machines are equipped with a hand spray pipe of suitable length. This is to cover up sides of the roads which may have been left out during the spraying process. A hand lever valve is provided near the operator’s chair. This pneumatic hand lever valve is useful for opening and closing of the spray nozzles of the bitumen sprayer machines.
- CLEANING SYSTEM: Easy to use and effective cleaning system is the highlight of any good machine. Proper and effective cleaning system will ensure that the equipment is ready for next day’s use. Since this equipment is using bitumen and the properties of bitumen are such that it gets sticky and hard as its temperature lowers. This property of bitumen makes it very difficult to deal with as it tends to clog the pipelines with the drop in temperature. Effective cleaning system of the asphalt distributor consists of a simple process by using air and diesel. At the end of the day, the bitumen line has to be cut off and the spray bar can be cleaned by using a combination of air and diesel. This means that the lines are absolutely clean and the machine is ready to work when required.
- TESTING PRIOR TO DISPATCH: Testing of bitumen sprayer prior to dispatch is one of the key factors that make a product very strong. Every sprayer that leaves our factory is factory checked and inspected and the end product that leaves is top notch quality. Tank is filled with water and spraying is done to check for leakages and optimum spraying of the machine.
A combination of these components manufactured with due care and by using quality materials will ensure that the machine manufactured will ensure quality and clean spraying.
