Humes Industries Encapsulation Unit

Humes Industries, amongst other items, manufactures centrifugally spun concrete pipes up to 2.4m diameter and 11 tonnes wet weight. Occasionally, machinery failures can occur which result in the spinning moulds coming free of the machine causing significant damage and extreme potential hazard to personnel within the vicinity.

In 2017, Patton Engineering designed, fabricated and installed a very robust encapsulation unit to completely enclose the moulding machine and spinning moulds at Humes Hawkes Bay manufacturing facility. In early 2018, there was an occurrence of mould failure – once again resulting in a spinning mould weighing some 7 tonnes, coming free.

In this instance – personnel injury was totally eliminated as the new encapsulation totally proved its worth, suffering only very negligible scratching to paintwork, and completely containing the errant, self-destructing mould.

So pleased was the client that they immediately engaged Patton Engineering to complete a similar design, fabrication and installation at their Christchurch manufacturing facility. Completion of the installation in Christchurch is anticipated by Labour Weekend 2018