June 2021

The Importance of Automatic Shot Blasting and Anti-Corrosion Treatments in the Production Cycle of Cement Silos: Euromecc’s Experience

Euromecc, an Italian company that has been designing and producing machinery and plants for the concrete and cement industry for over 50 years, has equipped itself with a new automatic shot blasting system for surface preparation. The automation of the new machine now allows the handling of large-sized items quickly, while maintaining consistent quality levels.

Euromecc, located in the municipality of Misterbianco (Catania), has been designing and producing large-sized plants for the construction sector since 1969, such as silos for the storage of bitumen and cement, and materials in powder form, adapting the production of items to the specific needs of the customer. Euromecc handles all types of steel treatments and transformations, from sawing and pantograph cutting to mechanical processes for chip removal, carpentry, welding (including robotic welding), assembly, and electrical wiring. These activities are summed up by Daniele Sciuto, head of the export department, in a brief phrase: “We usually say that at Euromecc, iron comes in and machines come out: we start with raw material and deliver the finished product.” With a completely vertically integrated production cycle, the company also manages the pre-treatment of items and their anti-corrosion painting within its own facility. To automate one of the most important stages of preparation for painting, Euromecc recently installed a new shot blaster supplied by OMSG – a company celebrating its 60th anniversary this year – which allows the pre-treatment of all items, including those of considerable size.

The Evolution of Euromecc
The Sicilian company was founded in the late 1960s by Salvatore Attanasio, founder of OMC (its original name), who focused on designing and producing concrete mixers and concrete batching plants with an auxiliary engine and power take-off. Three years later, the first concrete batching plant was designed and subsequently produced. In 1989, the company changed its name to Euromecc, and management was entrusted to Salvatore’s sons, Daniele and Fabrizio, who decided to expand the range of products offered and, at the same time, specialize in the design and construction of concrete batching plants and precast production. In 2004, the company developed its first plant for foreign markets: a four-compartment dry storage plant that requires only a small number of vehicles for transportation. Three years later, they began mass-producing two lines of compact plants specifically designed for the foreign market. More recently, in 2015, Euromecc was acquired by Alfio Daniele Attanasio, who consolidated and renewed the company’s offerings, which now include plants for concrete production, precast production, bulk material storage, handling systems, port terminals, inertization plants, and concrete recycling systems.

Euromecc Today
Currently, Euromecc consists of three main branches: one, the historical one, dedicated to the construction sector (such as the production of concrete batching plants), the second related to the bulk materials industry in the construction world (handling, transport, and storage of materials with a granulometry of up to 50 mm, cement, gypsum, ashes), and the third operating in the ecology sector with construction material recycling services.
Today, Euromecc spans an area of 220,000 m², of which about 20,000 m² is covered, and employs nearly 200 highly specialized workers, including engineers, technicians, and programmers.
The purchase of the new shot blaster is part of Euromecc’s plans to strengthen its production capabilities, as the company constantly seeks innovation in both its product offerings and production processes. The facility is equipped with systems that allow both mechanical processing and the creation of medium-heavy carpentry. High production capacity and large storage areas enable the company to offer various customized solutions to clients. For manufacturing concrete batching plants, cement storage, and handling systems supporting cement plants in different environmental conditions, it is crucial for Euromecc to identify an anti-corrosion painting cycle tailored to the specific needs of their clients and, accordingly, to perfectly pre-treat the items’ surfaces.
“The surface treatment,” continues Sciuto, “has a functional purpose aimed at ensuring a high durability of items within a corrosion class ranging from C2 to C5. There can be several factors that increase the possibility of corrosion of the base material, which is carbon steel, depending on the characteristics of the installation site. For example, storage terminals are often required to be installed in marine environments, so resistance to corrosion is essential. This is why surface preparation of the item through shot blasting is of strategic importance.”

From Manual Shot Blasting to Automation
While galvanizing operations are entrusted to external suppliers, the rest of the production activities are carried out internally, including painting of items, both manual and automatic.
“Euromecc,” continues Sciuto, “is equipped with advanced plants capable of treating items with any required protection cycle, from single-layer cycles to three-layer systems using monocomponent epoxy paints. We also have our own internal specification that we propose for concrete batching plants and standard applications, for which the most requested shot blasting grade is Sa 2.5. After years of manual shot blasting, we decided to rely on a fully automatic turbine machine, which has allowed us to optimize productivity, increase output, and ensure greater consistency in the quality of our coatings. The shot blasting cabin we just acquired was a missing piece in the production process, which is now almost completely automated and ready to meet the different customization requests of our clients.
Previously, our operators manually performed the shot blasting process for almost the entire working day. The operators worked in uncomfortable conditions, so we decided to make an investment and automate this process with an OMSG turbine shot blaster, which creates an internal flow of metal shot directed onto the surface of the item much faster and in a continuous cycle. We have thus managed to reduce the time components spend in the shot blasting cabin by more than half.” The arrangement of the turbines ensures that the item is fully covered with metal shot. “When we performed manual shot blasting, this step depended on the operator’s ability to direct the flow to the areas being treated. Now, instead, the item is perfectly cleaned evenly, ensuring an appropriate substrate preparation grade.”

Technical Details of OMSG’s Shot Blaster
“The system installed at Euromecc’s site,” says Enzo Dell’Orto, CEO of OMSG, “is a tunnel-type shot blaster, model TUNNELBLAST 2530/16 H210 C, with a blasting section 2500 mm wide and 3000 mm high, and two hoists capable of lifting up to 10,000 kg each. The system contains 16 turbines, each with a power of 7.5 kW, and 16 turbine inverters, each with a 7.5 kW capacity, ensuring lower energy consumption, in addition to the 16 special valves for feeding the turbines. The machine is also designed for Industry 4.0 use, so the entire shot blasting process can be parameterized via a barcode, which is linked to the translation speed and turbine rotation speed (which can be controlled and adjusted by the inverter). For monitoring purposes, the system’s sensors constantly measure the level of abrasives within the shot blaster, keeping it stable, ensuring uniform results in each shot blasting cycle. Finally, the machine is equipped with a manual touch-up cabin, Protech (6000 mm width x 5000 mm height x 17000 mm length), whose filters, combined with those of the shot blaster, ensure atmospheric emissions below 5 mg/Nm³.”

A Winning Choice
The process that led to the decision to rely on OMSG was quite straightforward and, as confirmed by Giacomo Di Pietro, Senior Purchasing Manager who handled the purchase, met expectations: “Once we identified the type of machine we needed, we conducted research on potential suppliers and a market comparison, both technical and economic. We then compared several offers for various technical solutions from different suppliers, and in the end, we chose the solution provided by OMSG. From every standpoint, both quality and productivity, the machine satisfied us and met the commitments made during the contract phase. OMSG responded to our requests, and although it was a significant investment, we found the best balance between the quality of performance and price.”
The positive results obtained from the installation of the new shot blaster have allowed Euromecc to increase production at its Sicilian plant and meet the diverse needs of their broad customer base: “We have a single facility in Catania, supplemented by a network of partners and distributors worldwide, serving a range of clients with specific needs. We interact with both small family-owned businesses and large players in the sector, such as Mapei Heidelberg and Holcim for powder cement, as well as Calcestruzzi–Italcementi Group spa or Webuild spa for the concrete batching side: thanks to our partnership with OMSG, Euromecc can now meet the needs of everyone, from the smallest company to global multinational corporations,” concludes Di Pietro.

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